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Your cycling guide to staying safe this winter. From our cycling accident solicitors. 
Whether you’re commuting to work, or out for a Sunday morning bike ride on a crisp winter morning, there are a number of increased risks that come with cycling in the winter months. 
 
Our cycling accident solicitors know all too well that cycling in icy or snowy weather conditions can seriously increase your risk of being involved in a cycling accident, and the injuries sustained are likely to be a lot more serious. According to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, icy roads pose a significant risk to cyclists. An NHS report shows that around 10,000 cyclists seek hospital treatment every year after accidents involving icy surfaces. 
 
In this post, our cycling accident solicitors run through how to stay safe when cycling in winter, the most common cycling accidents that happen in icy weather, and what to do if you’re injured in a cycling accident caused by ice or snow. 

How to stay safe when cycling in winter: 

If you are planning to get out and about on your bike this winter season, the one thing you can do to keep yourself safe is to make sure that your bike is ready for the weather, and you are properly protected. 
 
There are a number of ways that this can be done: 
 
1. Lights- with dark evenings fast approaching after the clocks went back, it’s safe to say that anybody planning on cycling back from work, or going out after around 4pm for that matter, needs to be properly kitted out with good-quality lights on their bike. As always, a flashing light to make yourself visible to other road users is key. However, it can also be useful to invest in a more powerful front light to attach to your bike when travelling down unlit, or poorly lit roads and routes. 
 
2. Use the right tyres- One thing that our cycling accident solicitors know, is that no matter how experienced a cyclist you are, or how long you have been cycling for, sometimes it can be impossible to keep control of your bike on ice and snow. To combat this, our no win no fee solicitors recommend that you consider switching your thinner tyres, and invest in some thicker winter tyres for your bike. These thicker tyres can significantly help with grip on the road, and are also much more resistant to damage and punctures. 
 
3. Stick to the gritted roads in your local area- When our cycling accident solicitors work with clients who have been injured in the ice or snow, a large number of them have actually been involved in non-collision accidents. An NHS study showed that NCI’s are actually the leading cause of cycling injuries. When the roads are covered with snow and ice overnight, it can easily cover and disguise any potholes or other hazards on the road surfaces, and make it impossible for cyclists to spot them. This can be a small inconvenience to vehicles, but can pose a serious risk of injury to cyclists and other vulnerable road users. The best way to combat this is to make yourself familiar with which roads in your local area will be gritted and kept safe during the winter months. Local authorities have a duty to keep their most used roads safe and free of snow and ice, with the AA suggesting that around 40% of roads are gritted by local authorities throughout the season. To keep up to date with the roads that are gritted in your local area, see this here. 

Cycling injuries caused by un-gritted roads: 

While your local authority does not have a duty to keep ALL roads safe and clear of snow and ice, they do have a duty to ensure that those with the highest traffic rates are kept safe for road users. 
 
If you have been injured in a cycling accident caused by your local authority’s failure to properly grit the roads in your local area and keep them safe, or by their failure to maintain road quality, such as potholes, you could be eligible to make a personal injury claim for financial compensation with our cycling accident solicitors. 
 
To learn more about making a cycling accident claim for potholes and poor road surfaces, see this here. Or, to learn how to make a personal injury claim against the council with our personal injury solicitors, see this explained in full here. 

Cycling road traffic accidents in the ice or snow: 

While non-collision cycling accidents are common in the ice and snow, the risk is also increased for road traffic accidents with cars and other road users. This can be caused by other road users failing to drive accordingly for the weather conditions, and can cause serious injuries to cyclists and other vulnerable road users. 
 
As vulnerable road users, cyclists have more protection under the Highway Code as a result of the rules from September of 2021. See more on this here. This can help to strengthen your cycling accident claim for a collision with another road user, and help you to get a significant amount of financial compensation for your claim. Our no win no fee cycling accident solicitors have over 30 years experience in settling cycling accident claims just like yours, and have a success rate of over 99% in all of the no win no fee claims that we take on. 
 
Whether you have suffered from minor personal injuries, or life-changing head injuries in a cycling accident, our team is here to help you and your family achieve the financial compensation that you deserve. 
 
To speak to a no win no fee solicitors on a free, no-obligation basis, simply contact us online here for a consultation with a specialist solicitor. Or, email us at injury@mglegal.co.uk to discuss your potential cycling accident claim with a solicitor. 
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