Welcome to Pedals to the Courtroom. This is a New York-based series focused on cycling safety and the law. I’m Robin Herman, a partner in Herman & Herman, and this show will explore life on two wheels through an honest conversation with bicycle injury lawyer Glenn Herman. My husband. Combining personal experience with practical guidance for cyclists across New York City.
So based on your cases, What are the most common ways cyclists are injured in New York City?
Glenn Herman | 00:34
Cars, trucks, buses, cabs, Uber drivers. Just simply not paying attention. People opening car doors without looking and cyclists are getting doored, which is the term called when someone opens their door cyclist crashes right into it. Potholes, construction plates, manhole covers, they deteriorate, there’s holes, and the biggest problem is, you don’t see these until you’re right on top of it, and if you don’t quickly move out of the way, you’re going down. Those are the most common ones.
Robin Herman | 01:17
So drivers often say that they didn’t see the cyclist. Why does that come up so often?
Glenn Herman | 01:22
Unfortunately, it’s the truth. They don’t see the cyclist because they’re not paying attention. They’re not looking and they should be, and that’s the problem.
Robin Herman | 01:35
Do bike lanes always make it safer for the riders or do sometimes they create new risks?
Glenn Herman | 01:40
So, in New York now, we have a lot of what’s called dedicated bike lanes that the city has moved the parking lane into the first travel lane and set up a bike lane, which they paint green, which is fantastic. The cyclists are safe. There’s nothing to obstruct their travel. One problem, they’re usually on the left-hand side of the road. A lot of drivers aren’t used to this yet, and the cyclists are coming, the drivers are making left-hand turns, and they’re hitting cyclists. So, overall, fantastic. Dedicated bike lanes, but we’re still working on it.
Robin Herman | 02:25
And after an accident, what’s the biggest mistake cyclists make sometimes without even realizing it?
Glenn Herman | 02:31
If it’s a vehicle accident, not taking down the driver information, not getting a license plate, because a lot of times people go down, they get up, brush themselves off. The other car goes away. The next day they’re in the emergency room, and there’s no recourse for them without any of the driver information. Next thing is if you are in an accident, have to report it to the police within 24 hours. There’s a lot of insurance rules in New York that give a 24-hour requirement for a police report. So I’d say those are probably mistakes people make, but they don’t know.
Robin Herman | 03:15
And is there anything that a cyclist should avoid saying at the scene of an accident, even if they’re trying to be polite and cooperative?
Glenn Herman | 03:22
You should avoid guessing what happened? Usually these accidents, street defect accidents, particularly It happened in a blink of an eye. A lot of times you’ll go down and you won’t realize what happened until after you’ve really assessed the situation. So, don’t guess. Don’t Blurred out, I didn’t see what happened. It was my fault. Things like that aren’t helpful.
Robin Herman | 03:50
Great advice. Tune in each week for conversations about cycling safety in the long New York City. I’m Robin and in this series I’ll be sitting down with my husband Glenn Herman to talk honestly about life on two wheels and what cyclists should know before and after an accident.