Photo: Liveleak
The video below shows one of the very common bike accidents which take place because the joint “efforts” of the two road users, the driver and the rider. If we are to “dissect” this crash, there are two major mistakes made by those involved in it.
While the degrees of blame for both motorists are rather equal, we could safely presume that the rider will get the worst of the penalties, given the fact that he was steering to the left, and should have normally given way to the bike. Even more, it appears like the car was only trying to make an u-turn in the intersection, one maneuver which might have been illegal in that area.
As for the fact that the driver was obviously not paying attention to the road, the lack of braking or swerving attempt is quite eloquent. The cars seem to start moving just prior to the left turn on the impacted vehicle, which leads to believing that they have green light, so him proceeding and trying to veer before them was a bit on the illegal side, as well.
Finally, the biggest blame which lies with the driver is that he ignored any precautionary measure to make sure there is no incoming traffic. His visibility in the first opposite lane was rather poor, which commended a much more careful approach. However, it wasn’t meant to be…
The biggest mistake for the rider was to assume that the intersection was completely free, even though the visibility ahead was impeded by the bus and other cars. Not slowing down prior to venturing in such a predicament equals forfeiting almost all the chances to be able to mend things in case an obstacle appears suddenly. When having poor visibility, slowing down until being able to assess the safety of a certain situation definitely pays off and is good for one’s health.
As for the fact that the driver was obviously not paying attention to the road, the lack of braking or swerving attempt is quite eloquent. The cars seem to start moving just prior to the left turn on the impacted vehicle, which leads to believing that they have green light, so him proceeding and trying to veer before them was a bit on the illegal side, as well.
Finally, the biggest blame which lies with the driver is that he ignored any precautionary measure to make sure there is no incoming traffic. His visibility in the first opposite lane was rather poor, which commended a much more careful approach. However, it wasn’t meant to be…
The biggest mistake for the rider was to assume that the intersection was completely free, even though the visibility ahead was impeded by the bus and other cars. Not slowing down prior to venturing in such a predicament equals forfeiting almost all the chances to be able to mend things in case an obstacle appears suddenly. When having poor visibility, slowing down until being able to assess the safety of a certain situation definitely pays off and is good for one’s health.
Google News