When riding a bicycle in Ontario, it is essential that you watch for your own safety. Many accidents can happen while riding a bicycle, with the most serious being when a cyclist collides with a car. Below, we’ve summarized a few of our top tips for avoiding accidents while moving around in the Ontario area on your bike.
Ensure Your Bike Is Working Properly
Ensure that all parts of your bike are in good working condition. When checking to make sure that your bicycle is in good condition, there are a few things that you need to look out for. These include the following:
- Checking that your brakes are in good condition – If you need to brake suddenly, brakes that are in poor condition may not respond as fast as you want them to, causing you to get into a collision.
- Reflectors – Ensure that your reflectors are visible to allow yourself to be seen, especially when moving around at night.
- Bell/Alerting Device – Adding a bell or another sound-making addition to your bicycle can help you be seen and heard more easily when travelling, which reduces the chances of an accident.
- Mirrors – Like in a car, your mirrors help you to be more aware of your surroundings. Make sure that you have your mirrors fit on your bike properly and that they’re in the correct position for full visibility.
Wear Proper Attire
Dressing properly for cycling is another way that you can prevent injury to yourself and others. A few tips for proper cycling attire include:
- High visibility clothing – As we have discussed above, being visible makes it much less likely that you will be involved in an accident. Invest in some good quality high-visibility clothing and be more visible on the roads of Ontario!
- Helmet – Wearing a helmet is absolutely essential. It protects your head from injury if you are in an accident and could save your life. Always ensure that your helmet fits correctly.
- Shoelaces and other loose items of clothing – Always tuck your shoelaces away, and if loose items of clothing can’t be avoided, ensure they’re secured onto your body so that the clothing/loose items do not get caught in the wheels or chain of the bike. We recommend wearing slim-fitting clothing when cycling to avoid this.
Choose A Route With Minimal Traffic
When picking out your route, always pick the route where you will encounter the least amount of traffic. Stick to quieter roads to reduce the risk of collisions involving cars, even if it adds a bit of time to your journey!
If a quieter route is not an option, try travelling at quieter times of the day by avoiding rush hour traffic and busier times like school pickup.
Obey Traffic Rules
When travelling by bicycle around Ontario, it is essential that you obey traffic rules to keep yourself and others safe.
This means following the road signs, road markings, and signals, avoiding any kind of distraction (like talking on the phone), and obeying all of the same rules that you would be following if you were driving a car. In addition, where possible, we strongly recommend using bike lanes.
Never Assume A Driver Sees You
Finally, even with high-visibility gear, noise-making equipment, and turn signals, you should always assume that a driver has not seen you. Make every attempt to make eye contact with the driver of vehicles around you when making a maneuver on your bicycle. Make sure to act with caution and be alert to any unexpected movements from cars on the road to keep yourself as safe as possible.
Injured In A Bicycle Accident? Call Virk Personal Injury Law Today!
If you have been injured in a bicycle accident and you are seeking professional legal advice, get in contact with Virk Personal Injury Law today! Specializing in personal injury law in the Hamilton area, you’ll be able to find out all you need to know about compensation regarding your injury when you speak with a bicycle accident lawyer at Virk Law.