{"id":1741,"date":"2012-05-04T07:03:54","date_gmt":"2012-05-04T13:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.myphillylawyer.com\/?p=1741"},"modified":"2025-06-03T17:49:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T22:49:09","slug":"springtime-driving-safety-be-extra-cautious-for-pedestrians-bicyclists-and-motorcyclists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myphillylawyer.com\/yue\/2012\/05\/04\/springtime-driving-safety-be-extra-cautious-for-pedestrians-bicyclists-and-motorcyclists\/","title":{"rendered":"Springtime Driving Safety: Be Extra Cautious for Pedestrians, Bicyclists and Motorcyclists"},"content":{"rendered":"

Children darting in front of moving cars, runners out getting a good workout, bicyclists migrating onto the roads after a winter layover and motorcyclists back out on their machines, enjoying the warmer weather as it arrives again \u2013 these are sure signs that spring is truly upon us.<\/p>\n

With that, it’s also a great time as drivers to remember that we share the road with pedestrians and smaller two-wheeled vehicles that are no match for the weight, mass and power of our cars, SUVs and trucks when accidents occur.<\/p>\n

As motorists, we all need to be careful and more aware to protect ourselves from legal liability in the event of an accident involving a pedestrian or a two-wheeled vehicle. And if it\u2019s one of us walking, running or riding a bicycle or motorcycle, then we also need to understand our rights and protections as well when we are on the roadways.<\/p>\n

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Bicyclists and cars share the road in this photo taken in New York's Greenwich Village, where cars, pedestrians and bicycles operate in close quarters every day. Image credit: \u00a9 iStockphoto.com\/JayLazarin<\/p><\/div>\n

A good way to accomplish this is to make adjustments for the extra activity as we drive on seemingly quiet streets in our neighborhoods or along busier roads where hazards may be less obvious.<\/p>\n

Thousands of people are injured or killed in traffic accidents involving pedestrians, motorcycles and bicycles each year in the U.S.<\/p>\n

In the U.S., 630 bicyclists were killed<\/a> and another 51,000 were injured in accidents involving motor vehicles, according to NHTSA statistics.\u00a0 The number of fatalities was down 12% from the 718 deaths reported in 2008, according to the agency.<\/p>\n

The number of pedestrians, including walkers and runners<\/a><\/span>, who died across the U.S. in 2009 in accidents with motor vehicles stands at 4,092,\u00a0according to NHTSA statistics.<\/p>\n

Across the U.S., 4,462 motorcyclists died in 2009 in traffic accidents, according to the latest complete statistics<\/a> available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), compared with 2,483 deaths a decade earlier in 1999.<\/p>\n

You and your loved ones certainly don\u2019t want to become one of those tragic statistics. The monetary losses from those injuries and deaths are also significant and you certainly don\u2019t want to be on the wrong end of any legal judgments in such cases.<\/p>\n

As drivers of cars, trucks and SUVs, we always need to remember to watch carefully for smaller, less visible vehicles like bicycles and motorcycles as we drive. Remember to double-check your blind spots surrounding your vehicle and try to anticipate what bicyclists and motorcyclists are going to do as they cross your path.<\/p>\n

Drivers in Pennsylvania also need to keep in mind that new laws went into effect recently that require drivers to give bicyclists a much wider berth on roads \u2013 at least four feet of room<\/a> when passing bicycle riders on public streets. The new law makes it legal for drivers to cross the painted yellow lines on streets as they negotiate to give bicyclist safe room for passing. Now you don’t have to worry about being ticketed by a police officer for crossing the yellow lines as you pass a bicyclist.<\/p>\n

Bicyclists can obtain some great advice on riding safely on public roadways and how to avoid the most common types of bicycle\/vehicle crashes at the \u201cHow Not To Get Hit By Cars\u201d Web site,<\/a> which includes helpful and easy-to-understand tips and illustrations on avoiding the top 10 types of bicycle\/motor vehicle crashes, such as when a driver opens a door in front of a cyclist to a vehicle that pulls out in front of a bicyclist without seeing it.<\/p>\n

Parents of younger cyclists can also help their children learn about safer riding styles by sharing The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) \u201cKids and Bicycle Safety\u201d Tip Sheet to give good advice about bike safety.<\/p>\n

Among the key rules of the road for children, from the NHTSA:<\/p>\n