A little over a month ago, I was out riding my bike, listening to Jesse, Jordan, Go! one of my favorite podcasts when I heard them get to their “jumbotron” segment of the show and started talking about Josh Zisson, an attorney out in Boston that made a card for cyclists to carry with them. When I got home, I looked it up on the forums. I was impressed.
But I live in California and we have different laws here. So I decided to take a little action. I wrote Josh an email and asked if he would be willing to come up with one for California.
After a bit of discussion, we came up with a plan. He’d get the research and design done and I’d cover the printing. I want to hand them out to local cyclists and make sure people are prepared for both accidents and talking with police officers.
Soon enough, boxes of cards showed up at my house.
Here is the front and back of the cards.
Inside is a place for you to write down info in case of an accident. If you do have an accident, it’s likely you’ll be a bit fuzzy and distracted, so the card will help make sure you get the details down.
On the back is a visualization of the rights and requirements for California cyclists and the specific vehicle codes that apply.
Called out are the following rights/responsibilities:
- You can ride side by side with another cyclist in a lane.
- The motorist is as fault if they open the door and you crash into it.
- You cannot ride drunk or stoned. You can get a DUI on your bike.
- You cannot have headphones covering both ears, but you can ride with with one earpiece in.
- You must signal.
- Cars must yield to you and cannot turn in front of you.
Josh included contact information inside the cards as well. It’s always good to have the number of an attorney with you. Lawyers, guns, and money will get you out of pretty much any situation.
I’ve printed these up for the benefit of the community and aren’t trying to make money off of this. The better informed cyclists we have in California, the better for everyone.
I’m going to be handing them out on rides, at club meetings, and at local bike shops. Drop me a line if you want some.
There is also a new site, bikesafela.com, that promises to be of continuing help to Los Angeles cyclists.
One last thing to remember is to put a pen or pencil in your bike bag. I chose a super cool bullet space pen, but a short pencil would work too.
Josh is looking to work with other cyclists and attorneys that want to help their communities as well. You can contact him at bikesafeboston.com.
“I was out riding my bike, listening to…one of my favorite podcasts”
I stopped reading there. Put the iPod away.
While these cards are a great idea, cover your bases by taking down the plate number, insurance information from them THEN calling 911. In addition to this, remember that cops don’t arrest cars, they arrest drivers – a license plate is great, but nothing beats being able to ID the driver by their driver’s license. Take lots and lots of photos if you’re capable of taking photos (I wasn’t able to move, so no photos in my case). By calling the police, you make sure that it gets handled as a traffic violation and have a report number to reference when you go to tackle their insurance or pursue it further. In addition to this, once you have the report number, it will have all kinds of useful information on the report – their insurance details, their name, their address – essentially everything that should be noted on this card and then some.
I was doored and their insurance just barely covered my medical costs, replacement of damaged equipment because I didn’t lawyer up at the time, a good $5k at the time. It certainly didn’t cover the pain and suffering, which includes waking up every morning with a sore chest where I was hit in the past 3 years. My advice in hindsight? Do not show them any kindness, even if you feel like they didn’t mean to do it. Call the cops, lawyer up, and position yourself so that you CAN sue them even if you choose not to at a later date. It will be far better than wishing you could at a later date and not having that option open to you anymore. Oh, and know how long you can go without signing the piece of paper saying that you’ll accept the payout – in Washington, it’s 1 year. In other states, it can be 2 years or more.
Perhaps you should have read further then, it’s legal in his state (imo sensibly-so) to ride with one earpiece in.
These are awesome. I wouldn’t mind having one for myself and maybe a couple to hand out.
I was on my bike today for the first time in about six months. Last night, I woke up in the middle of the night worried about my ride. I’m not normally accident prone, but I kept thinking about how terrible it would be to break my collarbone in a fall. If I did, it would make picking up my 15 pound five month old nearly impossible and make being a stay at home dad very difficult. Thankfully, I didn’t fall. But I still worry about accidents.
@nick: Just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you should. It is legal to smoke, eat saturated fats and watch Seth Rogen movies. But none of it is good for you
Way to get these printed! I had josh send me some of the Boston ones.
@MisterP just ride and stop telling others how to do it “right”. I also listen to Jorden Jesse Go! when I ride! I also have a pair of headphones that only go in my right ear to have my other ear free to listen to the wonderful sounds of the world.
When I recently got my bike, a douche turned left right in front of me! I almost crashed onto his metal truck bed trying to avoid him. The guy yelled, “Look out, b****!” I was so incensed but grateful not to have been hit. How can I get some of these? Thanks!
Love this! I definitely will contact Josh about something similar for Oregon. I’m the bike director for a non-profit that helps local employees walk, use transit, carpool, and bike to work. I think this would be a great thing to pass out at our events. Thanks for sharing!