Bicyclists And Accidents On The Road
Being hurt in a bicycle accident puts the cyclist at high risk for developing catastrophic injuries, lifelong medical conditions and disabilities, and struggling to return to work or go back to the job he or she had prior to the accident.
No matter how the car accident happened, if the car driver was responsible for injuring or killing the cyclist, a personal injury claim could result. It is often the cyclist who leaves the accident with the most severe injuries, and some bike riders feel like drivers just don’t pay attention even when the cyclist is highly visible.
How Do Drivers See Bicycle Riders?
New studies have begun to explore just why it is that cyclists are so likely to be hurt in a critical vehicle accident. Cyclists are more likely to sustain life-changing injuries because of their exposure to the elements, even when the cyclist is using safety gear, such as a helmet.
A recent Australian study found that half of the vehicle drivers believe that cyclists are not completely human. The study’s researchers believe that this is a connection between deliberate aggressive acts that occur against cyclists and the dehumanization of anyone who chooses to use a bicycle.
The research results were published in the journal Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behavior, and the study involved more than 440 respondents across Australia, looking at people’s attitudes towards cyclists.
What Attitudes Cause Issues for Bicycle Riders?
Attitudes towards bicycle riding in the United States could reveal similar results. Bicyclists are likely to be hit in a variety of different scenarios aside from those presented in typical vehicle accidents. For example, bicycle riders could be struck in a dooring accident which occurs when they are traveling in a bicycle lane and a car driver doesn’t look before opening the passenger side of the vehicle. Bicyclists are also likely to be hit in crosswalks and when leveraging the right of way to move through an intersection or to turn in on that intersection.
All of these situations can expose a cyclist to deadly injuries. If you have already been hurt in a catastrophic bicycle accident, now is the time to schedule a consultation with a personal injury attorney.