Our bike shop Downey is running this series of posts about most common wrecks from Bicyclesafe.com.
#3 The Crosswalk Slam
You're riding on the sidewalk, and enter a crosswalk. A car makes a right turn, right into you.
Drivers will not expect bikes in the crosswalk, and it's hard for them to see you when turning from one street to another, so this is a very easy way for you to get hit. One study showed that sidewalk-riding was twice as dangerous as road riding, and another study said it's even more dangerous than that.
How to avoid this wreck:
1. Get a headlight. If
you're riding at night, a headlight is absolutely essential.
It's required by law, anyway.
2. Slow down. Slow down
enough that you're able to stop completely if necessary.
3. Don't ride on the sidewalks. Crossing between sidewalks is a fairly
dangerous maneuver. If you do it on the left-hand side of the street,
you risk getting slammed as per the diagram. If you do it on the
right-hand side of the street, you risk getting slammed by a car behind
you that's turning right. Sidewalk riding also makes you
vulnerable to cars pulling out of parking lots or driveways.
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