Bicycle Safety and Preventative Measures in Rancho Mirage
Riding a bike is a great way to get exercise while commuting. However, cyclists put themselves at risk when they veer away from dedicated bike paths or bike lanes and share roads with motor vehicles. You should follow specific bicycle safety and preventative measures in Rancho Mirage to minimize the chances of getting into an accident with a car.
If a car hits you while cycling, the skilled and compassionate bicycle crash lawyers at Walter Clark Legal Group have the resources and knowledge to help you get through this difficult time.
How To Safely Equip a Bike To Prevent Accidents and Injuries
While California law does not require adults to wear safety helmets while cycling, cyclists must adhere to other strict requirements concerning their biking equipment. California Vehicle Code § 21201 sets forth some of the safety measures required for bikes.
Braking Systems
Every bike must have brakes that are in good working order. The brakes need to allow a cyclist to make a stop with a one-braked wheel skid on pavement that is dry, clean, and level.
Size of Bike
People should ride bikes that are appropriate for their size. In other words, an adult should not ride a child’s bike or vice versa. Cyclists should only ride bikes that they can safely stop, support, and restart.
Handlebars
Cyclists should only ride bikes that have correctly placed and sized handlebars. They should not use bikes with handlebars that would force their hands above the height of their shoulders.
Lights and Reflective Gear
When cyclists ride at night, they must have the following:
- A white light that is visible from the front of the bike
- A red reflector or red light that is visible from the rear of the bike
- White or yellow reflectors on each of the bike’s pedals or the cyclist’s ankles or shoes
- A yellow or white reflector on the bike’s front half and a white or red reflector on each side toward its rear if it has no reflectorized front and back tires
Cyclists may also use a lamp that emits a white light.
Seats
California Vehicle Code § 21024 outlines rules regarding bicycle seats. Bikes must have permanent, attached seats, unless the manufacturer designed a particular bike without one. Child safety seats on bikes must meet legal requirements.
A knowledgeable Rancho Mirage attorney could help an injured cyclist review the relevant preventative measures for bicycle safety to determine if the cyclist could have minimized their risk of injury and how that could potentially impact their recovery of damages in a lawsuit against an at-fault driver.
Preventive Measures Regarding Bike Operation
In addition to properly equipping a bike with the necessary safety features, riders must adhere to preventative measures to safely operate their bikes in Rancho Mirage. The following safety rules apply to cyclists:
- No intoxicated biking
- No headphones while biking
- No parking bikes on their sides and leaving them on sidewalks
- No biking on freeways, expressways, or toll bridges in general
- No carrying additional passengers unless the manufacturer designed the bike for more than one rider
- No biking while holding onto or hitching oneself to a car
- No carrying packages or other items big enough to prevent a rider from putting at least one hand on the bike’s handlebars
- No failure to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks
Our dedicated legal team at Walter Clark Legal Group could investigate to determine how an accident occurred and search for proof of a motorist’s liability.
Reach Out to a Rancho Mirage Lawyer About Bike Safety and Preventative Measures
Because bikes are so much smaller than cars and offer no protection for their riders, cyclists should learn about and adhere to bicycle safety and preventative measures in Rancho Mirage. Unfortunately, drivers do not always respect cyclists’ rights, even when cyclists take proper precautions.
Contact one of the qualified attorneys at Walter Clark Legal Group. We have a proven history of helping injured bike riders get the legal and financial relief they need.
