Source: https://www.chadwestlaw.com/blog/bicycle-accidents-are-rise/
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 19:06:51+00:00

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As urban areas around the state have shown an increase in bicycle traffic, traffic accidents involving bicycles are on the rise. In fact, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration demonstrates that Texas had the third highest number of bicycle accident related deaths in 2013. A factor critical to the rise of such serious, bicycle-involved accidents is the commonly held mentality that roadways are only for cars and bicycles should yield to motor vehicles. This, combined with the surge in texting (or Facebooking, Tweeting, etc.) while driving, has created conditions that are particularly hazardous for the cyclists commuting on public roadways. Thus, as the number of cyclists increases all around the state, its important for personal injury attorneys to be aware of the laws regarding bicycles and how they may effect liability in bicycle-involved traffic accidents.
Under Texas Transportation Code § 551.101, bicycles are generally entitled to all the rights and obligated to comply with all the rules of the road that motor vehicles are bound by. This means that everything a motor vehicle operator would be expected to do in a car is also expected of the bicycle rider. This includes stopping at stop signs and yielding to pedestrians. Thus, unless a such a right or duty is specifically altered for cyclists by other statutory provisions, cyclists may be subject to liability in an accident, just as any motor vehicle operator. Accordingly, when calculating fault in a bicycle-involved accident, as with any other action seeking damages for traffic accident related injuries, Texas follows the procedure outlined in Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 33.001, which states that an injured party cannot recover if they are more than 50% liable for the accident’s occurrence. Therefore, if a cyclist’s actions constitute 51% or more of the cause of the accident, he or she will be barred from recovery.
Specifically, Texas Transportation Code § 551.103 requires bicycle riders “operating a bicycle on a roadway who is moving slower than the other traffic on the roadway shall ride as near as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway” unless certain circumstances exist. Further, a cyclist’s bike must be equipped with brakes capable of making a braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement and a headlamp and reflectors if the cyclist intends to ride on roadways at nighttime. Ordinances in Dallas require cyclists under age 18 to wear helmets, permit the riding of a bicycle on a sidewalk anywhere outside of the central business district, and specifically apply all traffic regulations to bicycle riders. When riding on Dallas sidewalks, the bicycle rider is required to yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and must give an audible signal before overtaking and passing a pedestrian. Moreover, Fort Worth similarly mandates helmets for riders under 18, requires bicycles to be equipped with reflectors if operated between 7:00 PM and 5:00 AM, and bans reckless riding.
Following these state laws and city ordinances, as well as all general traffic laws, can help cyclists recover damages in civil suits by keeping their percentage of fault low. Failing to do so, however, could result in an increased percentage of fault for the cyclist and, resultantly, a decrease in damages recovered.
 Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crash Statistics, Pedestrian & Bicycle Information Center, http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/data/factsheet_crash.cfm.
 See also 8A Tex. Jur. 3d Automobiles § 671 (citing Dunn v. Sears Roebuck & Co., 371 S.W.2d 731 (Tex. Civ. App.—Houston 1963, writ. ref’d n.r.e.); Kelly v. Ham-Tex Distributing Co., 337 S.W.2d 608 (Tex. Civ. App.—Waco 1960, writ ref’d n.r.e.)). “To justify the conclusion that a bicyclist was guilty of contributory negligence as a matter of law, it is necessary to show that the cyclist's injury or death resulted from the violation of some statute or municipal ordinance, or the facts must be such that the mind can draw no other conclusion than that the cyclist was negligent.” Id. (citing Carter v. Ferris, 93 S.W.2d 504 (Tex. Civ. App.—Amarillo 1936, writ dismissed).
 See Tex. Trans. Code Ann. § 551.103 (a)(1)-(4) & (b) for exceptions to this general rule.
 See Dallas City Code 9-1 & 9-8.
 See Fort Worth City Code Article VII, §§ 22-241–22-245.

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