Cycling can be an enjoyable hobby, form of exercise and mode of transportation. It can also be incredibly dangerous. Cyclists generally need to share the road with motor vehicles. While those on self-propelled vehicles are often proactive about complying with the law, other people in traffic may not be as cautious.
Drivers are often at fault for crashes involving bicycles. Cyclists cannot control how the people around them drive. However, they can adopt defensive cycling habits to help reduce the risk of getting injured in traffic.
What does defensive cycling involve?
Defensive cycling is similar to defensive driving. The idea is to view others in traffic as a source of risk and to adjust personal habits to minimize that risk. One of the first tips given to those taking defensive cycling courses is often to pretend to be invisible.
Drivers frequently struggle to notice cyclists in traffic. Cyclists may go to great lengths to try to make themselves visible. They wear fluorescent colors, add aftermarket lights to their bicycles and put reflectors on everything.
Despite those efforts, drivers still look right past them in traffic. There’s typically nothing the cyclist can do to overcome the inattentional blindness that prevents drivers from recognizing them across the intersection. What they can do is change their riding habits to account for driver distraction and inattentional blindness.
By yielding the right of way, making eye contact with others in traffic and using nonverbal communication, cyclists can command attention or at least limit their risk of a driver hitting them when they have the right of way. Defensive cycling also requires constant awareness of one’s surroundings and consistent compliance with traffic regulations.
Cyclists who monitor the behavior of others in traffic can identify those who are more likely to make decisions and maneuvers that put them at risk. If a crash does occur, cyclists may need to be ready to assert themselves. Depending on the insurance carried by the driver and the extent of the cyclist’s injuries, they may need to consider a personal injury lawsuit after a bicycle crash.
Quantifying the long-term consequences of a bicycle-car collision can help the affected cyclist evaluate their options for holding unsafe drivers accountable. Even those who are consistently proactive about their safety in traffic can end up hurt due to the negligence and bad behavior of others.