The Oregon Department of Transportation’s Rules of the Road operate as a driver’s manual for everyone driving or riding a vehicle on Oregon roadways. Bicyclists are treated like motor vehicle drivers under these rules in that they are expected to obey Oregon’s traffic laws as outlined for motorized vehicles. Treating bicycles the same as cars, trucks, or sport utility vehicles seems fair and appropriate in our state, which is home to active bicyclist communities. Portland, after all, has consistently ranked in the top three “bike friendly” cities across the nation.
But not all vehicles are equal and some kinds of accidents are more dangerous than others because of the vehicles involved. Drivers of cars, trucks and SUVs are required to follow a few additional guidelines and to undertake certain safety precautions that are designed to protect bicyclists due to cyclists’ heightened level of vulnerability on Oregon’s roads.
Some statewide precautions designed to protect Oregon’s bicyclists include:
- Drivers of motorized passenger vehicles must yield to bicyclists in a bike lane.
- Drivers of motorized passenger vehicles must yield to bicyclist on a sidewalk.
- Prohibitions on reckless vehicular assault of bicyclists.
- Drivers must drive to the left of bicyclist which they pass, at a safe distance, and only return to their original lane a safe distance away.
The bicycle accident injury attorneys at Dwyer Williams Cherkoss PC are dedicated to obtaining the compensation that our clients need to recover from serious bike accidents. Our personal attorneys handle a wide variety of bike accidents and our firm has a 98 percent success rate in representing those injured by the wrongful conduct of others throughout Oregon. Call us toll-free today at 541-617-0555 if you have been injured in a bicycle accident: we can help you.