Cycling safety tips 101 – have a plan

As a cyclist, you know there are dangers involved during your training rides. Accidents happen all the time. Just last week, one of your friends hit a pot-hole, went end-over-end, and ended up in the hospital with a broken collar bone.

You have had plenty of close calls yourself. Dodging distracted drivers and packs of dogs has become par for the course when you’re riding. But, no matter how vigilant you are, the ratio of drivers to cyclists keeps the odds stacked against you. At some point, no matter how closely you follow the rules of the road, you’re going to be looking left while that car comes from the right.

While your first priority is avoidance, you should also formulate a plan in case avoiding an accident is not an option. After being involved in a bicycle wreck, adrenaline and emotions tend to run high. If injuries are minor, most people want to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. You quickly exchange information and then you both go on your separate ways.

The problem with this is that the driver that caused your accident may begin to rationalize what happened and then pass the blame on to you. Once he or she has decided that you were at fault, this driver will not take responsibility for damages to your bicycle or your injuries.

Read below for tips on what should you do if you are involved in a bicycle accident caused by driver.

Move off the road

After becoming involved in an accident, move off the road as soon as possible to deal with the incident. The last thing you want at this point to be hit by another car.

Seek medical attention

Once you have moved out of the way of traffic, evaluate the situation and determine if you are injured. If so, seek medical attention as soon as you can either by calling an ambulance or getting a ride to an emergency clinic. At the very least, if your injuries are not life threatening, make an appointment with your primary care physician to have an exam.

Get witness statements

The next thing you should do is to get information from witnesses that can confirm the details of the accident. Get them to write down what they saw along with their contact information. You may need this if the driver changes his or her story in the future.

Get the driver’s information

Get the contact information of the driver that caused the accident. Be sure you have the phone number, insurance information, and license plate number.

Take pictures

Take pictures of everything. Be sure to get shots of the driver, the damage to your bike, the damage to his or her car, the location of the accident, the driver’s insurance card, and even the registration number of his vehicle. Also, take pictures of the driver, just in case you run into problems later down the road.

Bicycle accidents involving cars can be detrimental. If you have been hit by a vehicle while riding your bike, be sure you take the appropriate steps to understand your rights in Connecticut.