Attorney Explains Bicycle Laws, Insurance

A bicycle lawyer is addressing the Bike BloNo meeting March 16th. Brendan Kevenides is partner in a Chicago firm that specializes in the legal needs of cyclists. He says if you're riding a bike involved in a collision, the first thing to do is call 9-1-1. Kevenides says often a cyclist can suffer serious injury and not realize it because of the adrenaline coursing through their veins. "I've seen bicycists who've hit in a crash, who have, you know, a slow bleed and they don't realize it at first so, it's important first and foremost to get medical attention." Kevenides says another good reason to call 9-1-1 right away is to get a report on the incident describing what happened. He says while Illinois and other state legislatures have passed laws guaranteeing room for bicycles on roadways, other states are looking at laws aimed at discouraging bicycling. In Missouri a mandated 12 foot flag on bikes is under consideration, South Dakota's looking at requiring cyclists stop and get off to let traffic by.