When a car-bicycle collision occurs, it is often the bicyclist who suffers more. After all, cars weigh much more than bicycles, and a helmet might be the extent of a cyclist’s protection while a driver has the car around him or her.
Drivers of cars and other vehicles have a responsibility to others on the road and in places such as parking lots. This responsibility includes looking for vehicles, pedestrians and others before backing out of a parking space. Too often, though, drivers, after they hit a bicyclist, try to justify it by placing the blame on the cyclist. Sometimes, yes, it can be wholly or partly the cyclist’s fault, but further assessment on the driver’s part might reveal a different tale.
The cyclist darted out
A driver may claim that the bicyclist was not there one second then there the next due to having darted out. However, what may really have happened is that the driver lost track of time. For example, a driver in a parking lot might check for hazards, begin to back out, pause to respond to a newly arrived text and then finish backing out. That gives plenty of time for a bicyclist (or even pedestrian) to be behind the car and not because of darting out.
The cyclist was not reflective enough
Drivers can and do say this excuse even when the collision happened at high noon in sunny conditions. What could really have happened is that the driver ran a stop sign, did not check his or her blind spot before turning, or was distracted or sleepy. The driver may even have, in distraction or drowsiness, driven onto the shoulder of the road and struck the cyclist.
Drivers are not always to blame in cyclist-car collisions. Many times, though, they are, and unfortunately, some police officers share a bias against cyclists. If you suffered an injury, an attorney can discuss compensation options with you.