Staying Safe On The Road: Bike Safety

Position Yourself Well

You should make sure that you are not positioned too close to the kerb. By keeping out of the gutter of the road, you will be more visible to drivers. This also decreases the likelihood that you will accidentally fall over the kerb. Furthermore, if someone tries to dangerously overtake you, you have room to move closer to the kerb which can help keep you safe if needed.

If you are worried about a driver trying to overtake you on an unsafe area of road, you may have to move further out into the road so that they know not to attempt such a manoeuvre at this moment. You are not encouraged to do this all the time, just in areas where you have concerns about a driver attempting to overtake you on a certain stretch of dangerous road.

Be Aware Of Your Surroundings

You should be aware of what is around you, both in terms of other drivers and the condition of the road. For example, you should always look at the road ahead of you to see if there are any rough surfaces, drain covers, speed bumps or other potential hazards. You should also be prepared for traffic lights, roundabouts and other junctions before you get to them to ensure your safety.

You should also try and be aware of what other road users are doing so that you can predict their movements and know to hang back or to let someone overtake where necessary.

You should never undertake a lorry as this can be incredibly dangerous and lorry drivers have a lot of blind spots where they cannot see other vehicles, especially smaller transportation vehicles like bicycles.

Use Hand Signals

You should use hand signals to ensure you are staying safe on the road when you want to turn as this will give the road users behind you ample time to prepare to give you space. You should also check behind you to ensure that it is safe for you to perform a manoeuvre before you actually do it. It can be useful to try and make eye contact with the driver or road user behind you to ensure that they have seen you before you perform a manoeuvre like turning.

Be Aware Of People Opening Car Doors

As you are often focused upon the road ahead of you when riding a bicycle, you may forget to check what someone next to you is doing. However, you should move further out into the road when passing a car. This is because even if you are aware of your surroundings, the car user may not be and they could potentially open the door in your path without warning.

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Wear High Visibility Clothing

You should wear a helmet at all times when cycling. Furthermore, it is a legal requirement for cyclists to have working lights on the front and rear of their bicycles which must be switched on between sunset and sunrise. During daytime, if there is poor visibility, or during night time, you should probably wear high visibility clothing like jackets or stripes on your helmet.

Amount of Compensation

The amount of compensation awarded is unique to each specific case. Compensation amounts are mainly determined by assessing the amount of pain and suffering that someone has experienced due to their injuries. Similarly, compensation also assesses whether any loss of function has occurred due to the incident.

For example, if you are unable to complete tasks as you would prior to the incident then it may be possible to account for this through compensation. To view general compensation estimates for different injury types, visit our compensation calculator.

Compensation will also take financial losses into account. If you have had to pay for treatment, have lost income due to being unable to work or have incurred any other costs, then it may be possible to recuperate these through compensation.

Making Personal Injury Claims

If you have been injured due to an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to compensation. First Personal Injury solicitors are available to assist you and ensure that you get the compensation you deserve.

First Personal Injury work with both families and individuals across England and Wales, leading them on their legal journey and helping them claim compensation after an accident or injury. Contact our specialist team to begin the claims process, either by phone on 0800 808 9740 or through our online form.