When cycling in Louisiana, it is essential to remember that the drivers around you might have learned to drive in another state. Or they may have learned to drive a long time ago. Hence, even if you know what Louisiana teaches new drivers about cyclists, many drivers around you will have learned differently.
Not that Louisiana is a model state by any stretch regarding caring for its cyclist.
What do states teach?
In 2020 The League of American Bicyclists looked at how states educate new drivers about cyclists. Here is what it found:
- 24% made no mention of bike lanes and how to drive next to them safely.
- 46% made no mention of what to do when you need to turn across a bike lane.
- 46% did not teach drivers that they need to yield to cyclists at intersections. Regardless of what a light. says, drivers cannot just plow through a cyclist in front of them. They have a duty to give way.
- 34% did not tell drivers they should never pass a cyclist at less than three feet.
- 84% failed to mention, or hardly mentioned, the dangers to cyclists when opening doors.
It’s even more evidence of the low priority the authorities give cyclists in a country where the car is king.
Regardless of what a driver learned when they took their test, there is plenty of good information out there about how to share the roads safely with cyclists. Aside from that, much of it is common sense and the willingness to drive with consideration for others and respect for human life.
If a driver knocks you off your bike, seek legal help from an experienced Baton Rouge bicycle accident lawyer like those at Joubert Law Firm to hold them responsible and claim the compensation you will almost certainly need.
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