When you are riding your bicycle in Nevada, you may find yourself sharing the road with motor vehicles. You could be riding in a bike lane on the side of the street, or you may be sharing the lane directly with those cars if no bike lane is present. Cyclists are typically instructed to ride on the right side of the lane, as close as they can safely ride to the shoulder, unless they need to avoid a hazard, make a left turn or something of a similar nature.
If you are riding in the lane, over near the shoulder, drivers sometimes have space to pass your bike. But it is important to remember that they need to give you 3 feet under Nevada law. If a driver blows past you with only a foot of space, it is very dangerous and drastically increases the odds of an accident. From a legal perspective, that driver needs to remain behind your bike until there is room for them to pass safely and give you the appropriate cushion.
Why do drivers make unsafe passes?
The main reason that drivers will make unsafe passes is simply that they do not want to wait. Drivers are in a hurry. Even if they would only have to drive behind your bicycle for 60 seconds, they do not want to slow down.
As such, rather than waiting for a break in traffic so that they can pass safely, they may just try to barge their way through. This can cause a direct collision with the vehicle, force your bike off the road and put you in a very dangerous position.
If you do find yourself involved in a bicycle accident and you suffer serious injuries, then it is time to begin looking into your legal options to seek financial compensation.
