Night-Time Cycling Fatalities in North California
Riding at night is dangerous for cyclists. Many studies show that when riding at night, the risk of night-time cycling fatalities goes significantly higher. Sometimes the cause is related to the cyclist not taking precautions for the darkness and lack of visibility of the motorists. However, in many cases, drivers aren’t paying attention and don’t notice the cyclist even though they are well within the driver’s field of vision—and the darkness of night makes this worse.
Cyclist Killed Riding at Night in Clearlake
Clearlake police have confirmed that a man was killed riding his bike Sunday, May 31, 2020, around 10:40 pm. The accident happened when the cyclist was riding along Highway 53 and was struck by a car near Dam Road. Traffic was re-routed from that location so investigators could inspect the scene.
It’s unknown at this time what caused the accident, and it appears that the driver of the car stayed at the scene and cooperated with police.
Night-Time Cycling Risks of Injuries and Fatalities
There are many factors that create a higher risk of injury and fatalities when cycling at night. The greatest seems to be the lack of visibility of the cyclist. A cyclist has a low profile to begin with, and this is made worse at night.
Other factors include cyclists not seeing objects in their path such as potholes, and the likelihood of making a mistake that can put the rider in the path of a car. All of these risks increase the chance of an accident, and the cyclist will almost always get the short end of the stick in a collision with a motor vehicle.
Night-Time Riding and Liability
There are many reasons a cyclist might want or need to ride at night. It might be to commute to work and back home, or it might be to just enjoy a moonlit ride in the night air. Either way, cyclists have just as much right to the roadways at night as they do any other time.
While it’s true that every rider should be smart and take precautions when riding at night, they should still be able to ride safely at night free from being injured because of a motorist’s inattention or lack of care.
At Bay Area Bicycle Law, we do nothing but represent cyclists and feel strongly that motorists need to watch out for cyclists and give them the due care required by the law. When this doesn’t happen and the cyclist is injured, we stand ready to help the victim get the compensation they deserve.
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Bay Area Bicycle Law works with clients all over the State of California and is one of the state’s only personal injury law firms working exclusively with injured cyclists.
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