COMMON MOTORIST MISTAKES

According to the Texas Driver's Handbook published by the Texas Department of Public Safety, the three most common motorist mistakes causing car-bicycle collisions are as follows:

The most common
The motorist turns left in the face of oncoming bicycle traffic. The car driver often overlooks oncoming bicycle traffic or misjudges its speed.

The second most common

The motorist turns right across the path of the bicycle traffic. The motorist should slow and merge with the bicycle traffic for a safe right-hand turn.

The third most common
The motorist pulls away from a stop sign, failing to yield right-of-way to bicycle cross traffic. At intersections, right-of-way rules apply equally to motor vehicles and bicycles.

Note that, in this picture the cyclist is riding on the wrong side of the road. This is frequently a compounding factor in bicycle crashes. Always ride with traffic!