The Salinas Californian: Drivers need to watch for cyclists - ‘Right hook’ by cars commonly causes accidents

As bicycling becomes more popular in the Salinas area, with events such as the Amgen Tour of California, Sea Otter Classic and Monterey County Bike Week, motorists see an increasing number of bicyclists on the road. This trend may make some motorists uneasy, because they aren’t sure how to share the road with bicyclists.

Eleven percent of bicycle accidents involve a moving motor vehicle, and one common type of collision is the “right hook.” A right hook describes a situation in which a motorist passes a bicyclist to make an immediate right turn. In this situation, the motor vehicle can strike the bicyclist, with disastrous, even fatal results.Often times, this conflict happens because motorists do not see the bicyclist because they are only looking for cars coming from the left-hand side.

Another common cause of crashes in a turning situation is that motorists underestimate the cyclist’s travel speed and do not wait long enough for the cyclist to pass.

It is important to yield to the bicyclist, rather than speed up and try to cut in front. Just last week, an accident occurred in Santa Cruz in which a “right hook” collision killed a bicyclist. Police said the “truck apparently started to make a right turn on Bay Street (in Santa Cruz) when it hit the bicyclist.”

The best way to avoid injuring bicyclists when making a right turn is to expect them. Bicycles have legal rights to the roadway, just as cars do. Drivers need to slow down and keep an open eye for bicyclists when turning, because cyclists are very vulnerable at intersections.

The proper way for a motorist to turn right is to activate the turn signal, look for and yield to any bicyclists on the right hand side, then gradually merge into the bike lane and make a right turn when it becomes safe to do so.

It is also important to look for pedestrians and wait until they finish crossing the street before making a right turn. In some countries, such as the Netherlands, drivers bear full liability for accidents that involve bicyclists and pedestrians. Perhaps drivers in the United States would pay more attention if this were the case here.

Next week, we’ll talk about how bicyclists can help avoid crashes at intersections.

KAKI CHEN is bicycle and pedestrian programs coordinator for Transportation Agency of Monterey County.