A recent news article from the Miami New Times takes a look at the five worst intersections in the city for bike crashes. While we are not going to focus on the specific intersections for the purpose of the blog, it is interesting to see how they are spread out throughout the city and are in places that people might not ordinarily think would be hot spots for bike-car crashes.
One thing to keep in mind is that we are seeing more and more studies and articles like this, because bike riding is becoming more popular across the country, including in South Florida, and our area is becoming more bike friendly. However, there is still a lot of work that can be done to make the area safer for bikers. One of the major areas of needed improvement is that there must be bike lanes added. This is not only at these five deadliest intersections, but also around the city in general.Another reason for an increase in bike crashes is because more people are on bikes than ever before. There are even city bike stands here, as there have been in other cities for years. However, while there are more bikers on the roads, there has not been the needed effort to educate drivers on the rights and responsibilities of bike riders and what drivers can and must do to prevent accidents.
As our Miami bike accident lawyers can explain, many people who are in cars think they have the right of way and bikes must quickly get to the side and cannot be in their way. They also assume that if a bike was hit, it was is because they were riding to slow or were not following traffic regulations. In most cases, none of this could be farther from the truth.
Unless the road (usually a major highway) is specifically marked as to prohibit pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles such as bicycles, then a bicycle can not only share the road, but the bike rider has the same rights as any car on the road.
In some cases, drivers are trying to do the right thing, but they have not taken the time to learn the way to pass a bike rider or otherwise drive around them. We have seen some cases where drivers speed past a bike at very close distance while honking a horn and even yelling obscenities. This is not only illegal and disrespectful, it could also result in a serious injury or even death of the bicycle rider and would also be the basis of bike-car injury lawsuit.
It should be noted that in situations like this, the car does not even have to make contact with the bike rider to be responsible for the accident. If the bike rider is forced to ride off the road or otherwise take evasive action, and that actions caused the bike rider to crash, the car would be liable for any injuries caused. This could be alleged in such a manner in a personal injury lawsuit.
Call Freeman Injury Law — 1-800-561-7777 for a free appointment to discuss your rights. Now serving Orlando, West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie and Fort Lauderdale.
Additional Resources:
Here Are Miami’s Five Worst Intersections for Bike Crashes, June 30, 2017, By Jessica Lipscomb, Miami New Times
More Blog Entries:
Employers Urged to Crack Down on Driver Distraction, April 24, 2017, Orlando Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Blog