Bicycle accidents happen frequently, and often result in serious injuries. Usually, bicycle accidents happen when a car hits a cyclist, but sometimes bicyclists crash into cars that are parked in a bike lane or they run into a car door that someone opened without looking.
Drivers are obligated to follow traffic laws and look for bicyclists to make sure they're in the clear before turning or changing lanes, but that doesn't always happen. According to a New Jersey personal injury lawyer who handles bicycle accident lawsuits, the most common reasons bicyclists get hit are:
- Distracted and intoxicated drivers
- Drivers using their phones
- Traffic violations
- Speeding
- Cars making unsafe lane changes
- Pavement defects
- Loose manhole covers
- And several other causes
Since bicyclists aren't well protected, their injuries can be severe. Even when someone wears a helmet, the rest of their body is unprotected.
Some people have no choice but to use a bicycle as their main form of transportation, which puts them at risk daily. These people, along with dedicated cyclists and people who ride bikes for recreation, are taking a huge risk.
Thanks to many brave injured parties and their skilled attorneys who have sought damages in court over the years, the problem can no longer be ignored by lawmakers. Here are a handful of new laws designed to make the roads a little safer for bicyclists.
Oregon passed several new bicycle laws
One of the new laws passed with HB 2316, expands the definition of an intoxicant to include any substance that can cause mental or physical impairment. This might not impact bicyclists directly, but if people lose their license for driving under the influence, there will be fewer dangers on the road.
Under SB 895, Oregon now allows drivers to pass in a no passing zone when they encounter an obstruction, like a bicycle, a cow, or another vehicle traveling less than half the posted speed limit (like a mail truck or garbage truck). It's dangerous for cars to pile up behind a bicycle for long distances, and in Oregon, some of the no passing zones are quite long.
Additionally, fines have been reduced for bicyclists convicted of riding under the influence, which is a pretty big win for bicyclists. Not that anyone should ride a bike while intoxicated, but the laws are starting to recognize the difference in potential to do harm between a car and a bicycle.
New York City now allows e-cargo bikes on the roads
E-cargo bikes don't exactly look like regular bicycles, but they're classified as electric bikes. Since gas is expensive, and large vans and trucks are hard to park, many delivery companies have started to use e-cargo bikes instead of traditional cargo vehicles. However, they haven't been exactly street legal until now. New York City just made them legal in an attempt to reduce the risk of large trucks hitting pedestrians and bicyclists, and to reduce emissions. It's part of an ongoing effort to build a more sustainable city.
California just gave bicyclists a head start
Motorcycles have long been allowed to move to the front of the line at a stop light in California in order to get a head start, but they still have to wait for the light to turn green. Bicyclists riding in the street used to be required to do the same, but not anymore.
AB 1909 allows bicyclists riding in the road the legal right to cross intersections when pedestrians are allowed to cross. Pedestrians are usually given about a five-second lead time on cars, and now cyclists will get that same head start. When pedestrians have a head start, it makes them more visible to drivers, which has been shown to reduce accidents by 46.2%. The same is true for bicyclists – when they're able to get a head start, they will be more visible to the drivers behind them, and it should, in theory, reduce accidents.
One city in Bozeman, Montana, banned parking in bike lanes
When bicyclists are forced to ride around a car or truck parked in the bike lane, it pushes them into traffic, which increases the risk of an accident. Many bicyclists have been injured and killed this way. Now parking in the bike lane, or obstructing it in any manner, has been made illegal in Bozeman, Montana.
Bicyclists deserve safe roads, too
Not all drivers are happy about sharing the road with bicyclists, but some people don't have any other mode of transportation, despite preferring the safety of a vehicle. So, thankfully, cities and states across the U.S. are passing more laws to make the roads safer for those who are more vulnerable to injury.
