There is little reason to wonder why more bike riders are taking to the roads in California every year. Not only is it great exercise and great for the environment, but as the cost of gas, vehicles, insurance, and parking goes up, it makes sense to move transportation to a free option. That said, the more bike are on the road, the more likely it is for a person to be in a bike accident.
While no one wants to be injured while riding a bike, or to lose a loved one in a bike accident, the good news is that bike enthusiasts are taking steps to try and increase safety on the road. Read on to find out what they are doing. If you have already been injured, or have lost a loved one, then please reach out to Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 for your free legal consultation. There may be options available for you to be awarded compensation for your damages.
Bike lights at all times may be part of the answer to rising bike accidents
Workers and owners of California bike shops and enthusiasts of biking culture are now working to urge riders to have their bike lights on whether it is day or night. At the moment, the law in California requires that a bike rider have a front lamp and that it be turned on if the rider is out at night. The law further states that the front lamp must have a white light that can be seen from 300 feet away.
Further, bikes are required to have a red reflector on the bake or a flashing red light on the back, either of which must be visible from 500 feet away. These laws can make a big difference but they do not say anything about what a bike rider must do during the day. Safety experts claim that daytime lights can make a huge difference and can work to help prevent accidents between bikes and cars.
The reason is simple: Lights increase visibility
Last year California Bicycle, Inc. held the Rider Safety Visibility Summit and one of their core messages was that bikers need to use their lights during the day. This increases their visibility and it is believed by some that this can help to reduce the number of accidents. According to one bike shops’ sales manager, many bike accidents happen early in the morning and that bikes often do not have lights on.
It is important to consider that one of the reasons that bike safety can be hard to achieve is that bikes are both smaller and quieter compared to cars, trucks, and motorcycles. It is true that daytime lights are not going to prevent all bike crashes but experts agree that they are a step in the right direction. At Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas, we want to see the number of bike accidents decrease and we hope this step can help.
