Once again, the two-wheelers are in jeopardy!
Each spring, I begin to worry about all my friends who enjoy either cycling or riding their motorcycles once the good weather arrives.
In my work, I frequently represent injured cyclists and motorcyclists and work with them to try to get their lives back to normal, as much as possible.
Dealing with motorcycles first:
What a thrill they are to drive, especially in rural settings where the traffic is light, and the views are sometimes spectacular. In cities, they can, however, fall victim to inattentive drivers.
Drivers left turn in front of them, sometimes rear-end them, and often simply hit them in the middle of an intersection after blowing a yellow or red light. Sometimes the roadway is to blame with hidden potholes or loose gravel on the road’s surface left after a construction project.
Dealing with bicycles next:
They don’t fare much better in a collision with an automobile.
The consequences: Many cyclists recover nicely from their injuries; however, a significant number of folks are permanently and seriously injured, often knocking them out of the workforce and requiring a lifetime of rehabilitation and attendant care.
Whenever I’m asked for advice about how much insurance coverage folks need, I note that it is incumbent upon insurance agents and brokers to properly explain the types of insurance coverage available to insured drivers.
Often these benefits are not well explained, and people are not aware that for a few extra dollars they can exponentially increase the insurance coverage available should an accident occur.
In addition, your broker should suggest underinsured coverage which would cover you if the driver who hurt you had the minimum liability limits on his or her car.
In conclusion, if you’re inclined to enjoy cycling, with or without a motor, make sure that you find an insurance agent or broker who takes the time to work with you to investigate and purchase adequate insurance coverage.
As for the rest of us, we all need to be ever vigilant when driving since while we’re well protected in today’s modern cars, cyclists are not and can easily pay dearly for our simple negligence in not paying attention.
Otherwise, however, you chose to enjoy the roads during this pandemic, “stay safe” as they say.
