A recent study by Monash University has revealed that a shocking number of accidents involving cyclists happen in bike lanes. Find out how you may still be in danger despite travelling in the very lanes designed to make cyclists safer and how Gerard Malouf and Partners' team of lawyers can help if you do get injured.
A large number of cyclists get into accidents while in the bike lane
Monash University interviewed about 200 cyclists and found that a whopping one in five of them were in the on-road cycling lane when they were injured, according to the Age.
What's more is that most of these accidents were due to a car veering into the cyclist's path.
However, sometimes it is at least partially the cyclist's fault. For instance, the study found that the crashes have been caused by cyclists travelling in big groups.
"In these cases, other cyclists contributed to the crash in the majority of scenarios," Dr Ben Beck, one of the study's researchers from the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine said.
Still, it's important to note that these findings do not mean that bike lanes are unsafe. They are safe when compared to the number accidents that occur outside of the lanes. But it shows how bike lanes may not be as safe as people may have thought.
How Gerard Malouf and Partners can help injured cyclists
At Gerard Malouf and Partners, we've seen how common it is for cyclists to be doing everything they can to follow road rules, yet they still get seriously injured.
However, that's not to say that even if you were partially in the wrong that you can't receive entitlement. Many cyclists are unaware that they could receive compensation under the motor accidents compensation scheme even if they did do something wrong such as travelling in groups with other cyclists that were too big. Cyclists are only permitted to ride two abreast in the same direction in the lane and 1.5 metres apart, according to Transport for NSW.
If you were a cyclist involved in a car accident, don't hesitate to reach out to Gerard Malouf and Partners even if you were partially to blame. We know how the big insurance companies operate – they'll try to claim it was all your fault. With over 35 years of experience, we have the expertise to help you get the maximum amount of compensation you're owed, regardless of whether or not you were totally blameless or only partially at fault.
