It’s important to follow the laws of the road, particularly those pertaining to riding your bike. This is necessary at any time, but if you’re involved in a bicycle accident, you want to ensure that nothing you did was outside the law before you file a claim for personal injury. The more clearly you can prove your personal caution and responsibility, the higher the compensation you will likely receive.
Headphones can play a big part in determining the care and caution a cyclist was showing while bicycling. The image of a cyclist with a set of earbuds is relatively common, and headphones can provide background music while also limiting the noise of the wind. Headphones can be a great part of exercising, but is it legal while cycling in Georgia? You want to be sure you understand the bounds of the law regarding cyclists before you begin with a personal injury case.
Bicycles and Headphones Under Georgia Law
Like most states, Georgia defines a bicycle as a vehicle, so road laws that apply to cars also apply to bicycles. In Georgia, the operator of a vehicle cannot have both ears covered with headphones, and they cannot use headphones or earbuds that impair their hearing or vision. While in many other states, the driver of a vehicle, including bicycles, is allowed to have two headphones, this isn’t the case in Georgia.
The law is meant to prevent distracted driving and allow full use of hearing and vision for both car drivers and cyclists. However, a caveat or loophole of this law that many note is that having only one ear covered with an earbud or headphones is legal.
Safety Concerns for Cyclists
Accidents between cars and bicycles are of course significantly more dangerous for the cyclist. It’s important to ensure you follow the laws of the road and the laws that apply to cyclists to keep yourself as safe as possible.
For example, changes to Georgia’s Three Feet Rule require drivers to give cyclists even more space and to slow down. This could be an important fact if your accident was caused by the failure of a vehicle to follow this law. Additionally, you always want to ensure you are properly riding your bicycle and have a light on the front and back of your bike to keep yourself visible. Other important road laws include no more than two cyclists beside each other in a bike lane and obeying traffic laws.
If you’re injured in an accident while cycling, you must show that you were operating with full responsibility and care on your bicycle. This, along with a proper argument from a competent attorney, will help you gain the compensation you deserve.
Personal Injury Lawsuits for Cyclist Injuries
If you’ve been involved in an accident on your bicycle and you had headphones on, it’s likely that your personal injury case will not be successful. It can instead be argued that you were negligent in your responsibility to be fully aware of the road.
However, if you instead had only one ear covered, there is some room to argue. That argument is limited, but it’s important to talk to an experienced personal injury attorney to detail the specific facts of your situation. That way, you can determine with an expert in personal injury law if you’re likely to gain anything by trying to claim damages.
Pursuing Legal Action for Cyclist Injuries
If you’ve suffered an injury while cycling that was the fault of someone else, contact Lamar Law Office, LLC to determine the compensation you could gain. Our qualified attorneys can also help you understand if your use of headphones could damage the success of your case.