VanMeveren Releases Updated Book

YGR advertiser and nationally ranked age group triathlete Bryan VanMeveren of the VanMeveren Law Group recently updated his book, Your Guide to Road Cycling Safety in Colorado. The book discusses topics like; How common are bike crashes in Colorado, the new Colorado Safety Stop Law, and Vulnerable Road User Statute, Are Cyclists Required to Stay In The Bike Lane At All Times, Can Cyclists Ride Two Abreast On The Roadway, and much more.

Version two of the book includes an e-book release which can be found here and here.

Introduction:

Welcome to the revised, 2nd Edition of Your Guide to Road Cycling Safety in Colorado! The more things change, the more things stay the same. It has been nearly seven years since I published my first book on Colorado bike law. Since that time, I’ve written another personal injury law book, Get It Settled Without A Lawyer!, posted numerous articles, injury law guides, newsletters and blogs on bike law, spoken to various community groups and high school students, counseled well over 100 bike incident victims and put another 35,000 miles in the saddle, traveling on my road, mountain, gravel and triathlon bikes all over northern Colorado. Many of those miles were also logged on my bike trainer in my garage. I often ride my stationary bike trainer due to the weather conditions and other times just to avoid the risk of being the victim of another bike incident. Like many of you reading this book, I too have been a bike incident victim. I wish I could say this was a one-time occurrence. I wish I could say we live in a “bike-friendly” state where motor vehicle-cyclist conflicts are rare. Unfortunately, as an avid cyclist and attorney advocate for cyclists, these incidents have become far too common.
The purpose of this book is to help cyclists and motorists understand our Colorado bike laws and to provide an update of the recent changes in the law. I’m hopeful this book will help answer many of the questions involving cyclists’ responsibilities and lawful driving behaviors that motorists must abide by while sharing the roads with cyclists.
Sadly, at VanMeveren Law Group, there are no shortage of phone calls from cyclists who have been involved in cyclist-motorist incidents. We still consider Colorado a relatively “bike friendly” state, so why do we continue to see so many car vs. bike incidents? We’ll take a look at some of the more important issues surrounding these incidents and review a few tragic examples where something as simple as putting your phone away while driving could have prevented a cyclist’s lifetime of pain and suffering.

Table of Contents:

• HOW COMMON ARE BICYCLE INCIDENTS IN COLORADO?…… 7
• FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING COLORADO BIKE LAW ……………………………………………..11
  Are Cyclists Required to Stay In The Bike Lane At All Times?……. 11
  Are Helmets Required in Colorado?…………………………………….. 12
  What is Colorado’s “Dooring” Law?……………………………………… 14
  Can Cyclists Ride Two Abreast On The Roadway?…………………… 15
  Do Road Hazards Often Lead to Bicycle Crashes?………………….. 16
  Are There Laws Pertaining to Lights and Safety Gear For Bicyclists In Colorado?…………………………………………………… 17
• 10 CRITICAL STEPS COLORADO BICYCLISTS SHOULD TAKE TO PROTECT THEMSELVES ON OUR ROADWAYS……………….19
• WHAT TYPES OF INJURIES DO BICYCLE CRASH VICTIMS USUALLY EXPERIENCE?……………………………………………..21
• IMPORTANCE OF MEDICAL TREATMENT IN A BICYCLE INCIDENT CLAIM …………………………………………………….23
• 10 IMPORTANT STEPS TO TAKE AFTER A BICYCLE CRASH……25
• IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING A LOG OR JOURNAL OF EVENTS FOLLOWING A BICYCLE CRASH ………………………..27
• DO I HAVE A CLAIM? ……………………………………………….29
• IMPORTANT LAWS PERTAINING TO BICYCLISTS IN COLORADO………………………………………………………..33
  Is It Legal for A Motorist To Go Around a Bicycle?……………………34
• CASE IN POINT: CYCLIST VICTIM SIDESWIPED BY CARELESS DRIVER……………………………………………….35
• 10 CRITICAL STEPS COLORADO BICYCLISTS SHOULD TAKE TO PROTECT THEMSELVES ON OUR ROADWAYS……………….19
• What Are the Most Common Driver Errors Contributing To Crashes With Cyclists?…………………………………………………… 37
  It’s Just a Text. Is It Worth It?………………………………………………. 37
• WHAT IS COMPARATIVE FAULT IN BICYCLE CRASH CLAIMS? 41
  What’s The Difference Between a Bicycle Crash Case And Other Personal Injury Cases? ……………………………………43
  What is the Statute of Limitations for a Bicycle Crash Claim?……44
  Why Are Accident Reconstructionists and Re-Enactments Important In Bicycle Crash Cases?……………………………………45
• DO MOST BICYCLE CRASH CLAIMS REACH A SETTLEMENT PRIOR TO TRIAL? …………………………………………………….47
  Does It Really Matter Who You Hire as Your Lawyer in a Bike Crash Case?……………………………………………………..48
  How Long Do Bicycle Crash Cases Take to Resolve?……………….. 49
  Is There Assistance Available for Clients to Pay For Medical Care During the Pendency of Their Claim?………………………..50
• SETTLE OR GO TO TRIAL? …………………………………………..53
  What Options Are Available to the Families of The Deceased in Fatal Bicycle Accidents?………………………………………………55
• WHAT TYPES OF DAMAGES ARE RECOVERABLE IN A BICYCLE ACCIDENT CLAIM?……………………………………….57
• WHAT DOES MY AUTO INSURANCE HAVE TO DO WITH MY BICYCLE CRASH CLAIM? ………………………………………61
• TAKE-HOME POINTS……………………………………………….. 63
• WHAT STRATEGIES ARE USED BY INSURANCE COMPANIES TO DISPUTE CLAIMS?……………………………… 65
  Comparative Fault……………………………………………………………..65
  Failure to Follow Recommended Medical Treatment………………66
• PUT A PROVEN LEGAL TEAM IN YOUR CORNER………………..67
• CAN I WORK WITH OTHER PARTY’S INSURANCE WITHOUT A LAWYER? ………………………………………………69
• IMPORTANCE OF RETAINING AN EXPERIENCED BICYCLE CRASH ATTORNEY……………………………………………………71
  Can I Afford an Experienced Bicycle Crash Attorney?…………….. 72
  Can Any Respected Attorney Handle My Bike Crash Case?……… 72
  Is A Bicycle Crash Claim A Relatively Easy Process?……………….. 73
• VANMEVEREN LAW GROUP’S EXPERIENCE IN HANDLING BICYCLE ACCIDENT CASES …………………………………………75
  Uncommon Attributes of VanMeveren Law Group…………………. 76
• WHAT ARE MY RESPONSIBILITIES AS BICYCLE RIDER IN COLORADO?………………………………………………77
• COLORADO’S NEW SAFETY STOP LAW…………………………. 85
• VULNERABLE ROAD USER STATUTE ………………………………89
• VLG IS IN YOUR CORNER……………………………………………93