When Bikes And Cars Collide, Who's At Fault?

If there were 630 fatalities is that really "relatively dangerous?"

Considering the number of cyclists there are in the US this doesn't sound that bad to me. Of course we should shoot for lower but I'd like to see the number normalized to deaths per mile or hour cycling.

I'm acquainted with a lot of bike crashes since I used to work in bike shops. Often you can't say one party is 100% at fault and the other 100% innocent. Often collisions are a combination of recklessness on behalf of both the cyclist and the motorist. If either party was more careful the collision could have been avoided. When I cycle I expect motorists to be reckless and when I drive I expect cyclists to be reckless. They usually aren't but you should always be prepared.

I've had things thrown at me as well. Usually trash. Nothing too dangerous so far.

Edited by: GIANT-STEPS at: 5/24/2011 (17:41)

Reminds me a little of Easy Rider

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This sucks even more because it is not an accident it is outright assault! Too bad s/he couldn't get the plate number. This incident could have resulted in injury or death. Makes me ill to think about it.

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Some scary stories here at this link with an important message about cycling advocacy:

www.roadbikerider.com/top

The following occurred in Asheville, which I would have thought would be a more bicycle-friendly location in the south:

"while I was out riding along the river stretch you and I rode. I was . . . cruising along all content, happy and feeling good when "wham!" Some young punks in a pickup truck nailed me with a bottle. The bottle felt like one of those large plastic Gatorade bottles and about half full. The pure shock of getting nailed [in the back] by a bottle thrown from a vehicle traveling 45 mph or faster stung and had me bent over my bike. As I glanced forward at the perpetrators, the passenger was bouncing up and down in his seat as if jubilant for hitting his mark. I didn't get the license plate number but did manage a description of the pickup truck. It made me sick."

Don

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" Not everyone on a bicycle is a "Cyclist"."
Tom, it could not have been said better. There are people on bicycles who gives us cyclists a bad rap.

Interesting article.
Something to remember is that most people here are "Cyclists" and ride with reasonable care and caution.
Not everyone on a bicycle is a "Cyclist".
And and wether it is because of an "I don't care" or "I don't know" problem, these are the people to watch out for.

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True enough...! I've had a few close calls, but thankfully no bike-bike mishaps.

Don

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All well and good looking at ways to avoid a car-bike collision. Let's talk about something related...single bike and bike-bike collisions.

Anecdotal evidence but on the 11 cross country bicycle tours I have worked on only two people were not able to finish the ride due to car-bike accidents. I cannot count the number that had to leave due to bike-bike collision which were mostly due to poor pacelining skills and single bike accidents due to inattention.

Remember cars do not have to be around in order for one to get injured on a bike.

Be careful out there!

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I ride as defensively as possible, ALWAYS with my helmet and ride my bicycle like I drive my car, following the rules of the road. Even then, things happen. I cringe when I see careless cyclists out there, no helmets, riding willy-nilly, giving everyone a bad impression of cycling and cyclists.

Don

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I have to say things like bikers riding on the sidewalk & expecting use walkers & runners to move. If I ride on a sidewalk I always get out of the way when there are people around. Bikers should obey the rules of the road. for posting

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Thanks for sharing Don.

Perhaps I am missing something, but I think there are some things that need to be taken into consideration, and I did not see that (could likely be me). Over the last few years the number of cyclists have gone up for a number of reasons. Many of those riders exhibit less than desirable behaviors in the traffic when riding on the road and are dangerous to themselves and others.

I am a defensive cyclist, and have learned that even then cycling can be dangerous.

Very informative and interesting article! I also checked out the 5 most common cause for accidents - an eye-opener for sure.

Thanks for sharing!

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Interesting article. And nobody really knows.

I can tell you that when I got hit, it was the driver's fault, and he got the ticket to prove it. He was 16, a brand new driver, and cut a corner short while turning. I was approaching the stop sign and he hit me head on. I was lucky. I got away with some scrapes and bumps and bruises, I did not hit my head, and my bike was repairable. His insurance covered all of the costs, including two lost days at work.

I remember seeing my sunglasses stuck in his grill. It was the single most frightening experience of my life and I still get jitters when I ride past that corner, even though it was 12 years ago.

On the other hand, I have also been in my car when crazy cyclists cut in front of me, ride too close, ignore stop lights and signs, don't signal when they will turn, etc etc. We've all been there. The two things that piss me off about it are (a) they are putting me at risk as much as themselves, and (b) they make the rest of us look bad. The worst? Parents who let their kids ride in the street without teaching them any regard for safety.

What have I learned? I try never to ride at rush hour. I refuse to ride in any major city (my town is small) I always wear a helmet, even though I hate it. (It took getting hit to teach me that... stubborn!) I never wear ear buds or anything else that prevents me from hearing what's going on around me. I stay really close to the curb when approaching corners.

Defensive driving applies to bike riding as well as cars, maybe more so.

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When Bikes And Cars Collide, Who's More Likely To Be At Fault?

www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/05/20/
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6462246/when-bikes-and-cars-collide-R>whos-more-likely-to-be-at-fault

"Cycling is still a relatively dangerous activity, after all. There were 630 fatalities and 51,000 injuries from bike-motor vehicle traffic crashes in the U.S. in 2009, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

But who is really more likely to be at fault when bikes and vehicles collide?"

Check it out and ride safely out there everyone!

Don

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