If you get into a bike crash, here’s what you should do
Image by duncan c licensed under Creative Commons.
If you get into a bike crash, call 911. Try to get a police report, and note details about the officer making the report. Take photos. Also, avoid getting angry as best you can, and don’t downplay the potential severity of your injury.
As Megan McCarty said in her 2014 post, Crash course: What to do if you’re in, or see, a bicycle crash, bike crashes are scary and disorienting. It’s important to think about in case (heaven forbid) one happens so you’re not in totally uncharted territory.
But even if you’ve thought it through (or you read Megan’s guide), pulling all that information out can be difficult even on the best of days. Luckily, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association has your back with these handy cards with reminders of the things that are most essential.
The inside panel of the card reminds riders to get contact or insurance information from anyone at the scene, a police report and the info of the officer in charge, and photos. It also urges against trying to “shake it off” and says “anger is natural, but try to keep a level head.” On the back, there’s WABA contact info and an invitation to fill out the agency’s crash tracker.
WABA’s handy checklist by Washington Area Bicyclist Association.
“This is all info that’s available in various forms all over the web, but none of that is necessarily something you have in your pocket,” said Colin Browne, WABA’s communications coordinator. “We wanted something that’s clear and easy to process even if you’re kind of rattled. The recommendations are about making sure people are taking care of themselves. There’s not always one right thing to do, but these are a couple of good things to know.”
WABA staff and volunteers will be handing these cards out at events around the region, like Bike to Work Day. The agency also has an app that reminds you of what to do in case of a collision as well.
Do you have anything to add to WABA’s basic list? Any experiences that have taught you the value of a particular piece of information? Tell us in the comments. And grab a crash checklist the next time you see the WABA folks out and about.