It’s a fact of life: cars must share the road with bicycles and they in turn must share the road with cars. Both have a responsibility to keep each other safe. The driver of a car should not pass a cyclist as though they do not exist — while cyclists on heavily traveled roads should be mindful of cars. Each must watch out for the other.

A cyclist on the road is described as a vehicular cyclist, and is expected to travel within the roadway in accordance with the basic vehicular rules of the road. Vehicular cyclists should feel and act like vehicle drivers, even though they are not riding on the main roadway.

John Forester in Effective Cycling, explains the basic principles of cycling in traffic:

• Ride on the road, with the direction of traffic
• Yield to crossing traffic at junctions with larger roads
• Yield to traffic in any lane you are moving to, or when you are moving laterally on the road
• Position yourself correctly at junctions to turn – near the curb when turning off the road on the side you are on, near the center line when turning across to the other side, and in the center when going straight.
• Ride on a part of the road appropriate to your speed; typically, faster traffic is near the centerline

To void a Grand Rapids auto accident or a bicycle accident, be mindful of these rules for cyclists. While you want to enjoy riding your bike on the roads, should an accident occur, Call R. Kevin Thieme for a free consultation today.