Cyclists tend to be more vulnerable than cars on the road. This is in part because they are less visible due to their size and lack of strong headlights. Therefore, bicycle accidents involving cars can often occur at night or during dusk.
If you are a driver who has recently been involved in an accident involving a cyclist, you may be worried that the liability will automatically be placed on you. However, this may not be the case. In some situations, a cyclist’s negligence causes or contributes to an accident. The following is an overview of situations where an accident is a cyclist’s fault.
When they do not obey traffic rules
Cyclists frequently disobey traffic rules because they wrongly believe that the traffic rules only apply to cars. However, this is not the case. Cyclists should obey stop signs and traffic lights at all times. If they ignore traffic rules and this leads to a collision, they will likely be determined to be liable.
When a cyclist abruptly turns off the sidewalk
Cyclists can sometimes use the sidewalk and suddenly turn onto the road. If a cyclist is using the sidewalk, it’s likely that a driver would not pay much attention to them because they do not consider them to be a potential hazard. However if the cyclist enters the road without warning or without looking, this could cause a collision because the driver has no time to react.
Many bicycle accidents are caused by inattentive drivers in surrounding motor vehicles — but not all of them. Sometimes, the cyclist is at fault for a wreck, and a passenger car’s driver or passenger ends up hurt when the vehicle runs off the road or gets into a collision with another vehicle. If you have been involved in an accident that you believe was caused by a cyclist, find out more about your legal options.
