California roads don’t belong exclusively to cars and trucks. Every day, drivers share streets and intersections with bicyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists, runners, families, and children traveling to and from school.
Our September campaign for bicycle and pedestrian safety emphasizes that drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and motorcyclists all share our streets. Looking carefully before turning, yielding when required, and remaining attentive can help prevent serious injuries.
Drivers Should Look Twice Before Turning
Intersections can create particularly dangerous situations for pedestrians and cyclists because motorists are often monitoring several things simultaneously.
A driver making a turn may be watching approaching vehicles while failing to notice someone entering a crosswalk or a cyclist approaching from another direction.
Develop a habit of checking carefully before completing a turn.
Drivers should also be particularly attentive when leaving parking lots, driveways, shopping centers, and residential areas where pedestrians may unexpectedly cross their path.
A second look takes very little time.
Give Cyclists and Pedestrians Your Attention
Distraction can become especially dangerous when vulnerable road users are nearby.
A pedestrian or cyclist doesn’t have the physical protection provided by a passenger vehicle. When a collision occurs, the resulting injuries can be severe.
Drivers should eliminate unnecessary distractions and remain attentive to crosswalks, bicycle lanes, intersections, shoulders, and other areas where cyclists or pedestrians may be present.
Cyclists and pedestrians can also contribute to safer roads by remaining visible, attentive, and predictable.
As our September message states, creating safer communities begins with each of us making responsible choices.
Three Feet for Safety
California Vehicle Code section 21760, the Three Feet for Safety Act, requires a driver overtaking a bicycle traveling in the same direction to pass with at least three feet between the vehicle and the bicycle. Where three feet is not possible because of traffic or roadway conditions, the driver must slow to a reasonable and prudent speed and pass only when it will not endanger the cyclist.
Section 21950 covers the other common conflict. A driver must yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing in a marked crosswalk, or in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection. A pedestrian, in turn, may not suddenly leave a curb into the path of a vehicle that is close enough to be an immediate hazard.
Why These Collisions Are Different
A cyclist or a pedestrian struck by a vehicle has no crumple zone, no airbag and no seat belt. The same impact that leaves a car with a dented bumper can produce a serious head injury, a spinal injury, or multiple fractures.
That gap in protection is also why these cases turn on details that disappear fastest: where the sun was, whether the light had changed, which parked van was blocking the sight line. A photograph taken at the scene is worth more than a careful description written a week later.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Means Respecting Everyone
Whether you’re driving through Ontario, walking through Rancho Cucamonga, cycling through Murrieta, or traveling anywhere else in California, everyone has the same basic goal: arriving safely.
Road safety doesn’t require complicated solutions.
Pay attention. Look twice. Be patient. Give others space. Yield when required. Don’t assume another road user sees you.
At Khashan Law Firm, we encourage everyone throughout the communities we serve to make roadway awareness part of their daily routine.
Every road user deserves the opportunity to arrive safely.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a bicycle or pedestrian accident involving another person’s negligence, contact Khashan Law Firm for a FREE consultation. We proudly serve Ontario, the Inland Empire, Southern California, and communities throughout California. Hablamos EspaƱol.