# What if a car hit me while I was riding a bike? Canonical: https://californiapersonalinjurylaws.com/guides/bicycle-car-crash/ Reviewed by Andrew (Andy) R. Gillin; publisher reported approval on 2026-11-04. Original review date was not supplied. ## Short answer People on bikes have rights and duties on the road. A driver may be at fault for an unsafe turn or pass. You still need proof of what caused the harm. ## Hypothetical example A driver turns across a cyclist’s path without checking. The car hits the bike. ## How the rule works Vehicle Code section 21200 gives riders many of the same road rights and duties as drivers. The claim still turns on the acts that caused harm. Being on a bike does not itself assign blame. ## What can change the answer Lane position, signals, and what each person could see may matter. The cyclist’s own care also counts. ## A useful next step Save the bike and helmet if you can. Keep photos and the names of people who saw the crash. ## Court decisions behind this answer ### Cabral v. Ralphs Grocery Co. (2011) 51 Cal.4th 764, slip op., pp. 1–3. The court rejected a broad no-duty rule for a truck stopped beside a freeway. Drivers still had to use ordinary care. Limit: It did not hold that every roadside stop is careless. The facts matter when deciding breach and cause. Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/2011/s178799/ ### Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804, pp. 827–829. A person can share fault and still have a negligence claim. Their share of blame can reduce the recovery. Limit: This does not set anyone’s fault percentage. Other limits and defenses can still matter. Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/3d/13/804.html ## Sources - [Vehicle Code § 21200 — Bicycle riders’ rights and duties](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=21200.) - [California Civil Code § 1714 — Responsibility for harm](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1714.) - [Cabral v. Ralphs Grocery Co. (2011) 51 Cal.4th 764](https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/2011/s178799/) - [Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804](https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/3d/13/804.html) General information, not legal advice.