Bicycling: Having Fun, Getting Healthy, Staying Safe
It’s that time of year again. The weather is warming up and bikes (as well as scooters, skateboards, rollerblades/rollerskates and hoverboards) are coming out of storage sheds and garages to get on the road. As more people take to the streets riding their chosen contraption, it’s a good time for a safety refresher.
Anyone on the road who ISN’T in a motor vehicle is definitely harder to see than a car or a truck, and if drivers aren’t paying extra attention, it can be easy to miss someone on a bike or skating by on rollerblades. It’s vital for both parties to be extra aware of that. Preventing accidents is up to all of us, and preventing serious injury in accidents or falls largely comes down to one super important piece of equipment: helmets.
According to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, helmets reduced overall head injuries by about 60 percent and reduced fatalities by about 73 percent.
“We want to encourage youth to wear a helmet in hopes they develop a lifelong appreciation for safety,” said Gene LaDoucer, North Dakota spokesman for AAA-The Auto Club Group. “[We] hope parents will take the next step in modeling the desired habit of wearing helmets themselves.”
Size can vary between manufacturers, and making sure your helmet is properly fitted is important so that it can best protect you. Visit helmets.org to get a comprehensive list of helmet sizes according to manufacturers.
Here are other things to keep in mind (National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration):
Bicyclists
Preparation
• Use properly-working equipment that fits you
• Wear high-visibility and reflective clothing/gear while riding
• Tuck and tie your shoelaces and pant legs
• Choose routes with less traffic and slower speeds, or a bike path
• Make sure sidewalk riding is legal in your state/city
When Riding
• Drive with the flow, in the same direction as traffic
• Obey street signs, signals, and road markings, just like a car
• Assume the other person doesn’t see you
• Look ahead for hazards or situations to avoid that may cause you to fall, like toys, pebbles, potholes, grates, train tracks
• No texting, listening to music or using anything that distracts you by taking your eyes and ears or your mind off the road and traffic.
• Ride where you are expected to be seen, travel in the same direction as traffic and signal and look over your shoulder before changing lane position or turning.
• Use hand signals to alert others to your plans. Cyclists can extend the left arm out for a left turn; make a 90-degree angle with
the left arm to indicate a right turn. Putting the left arm down with the palm facing backward indicates stopping or slowing.
• Avoid or minimize sidewalk riding. Cars don’t expect to see moving traffic on a sidewalk and don’t look for you when backing out of a driveway or turning. Sidewalks sometimes end unexpectedly, forcing the bicyclist into a road when a car isn’t expecting to look for a bicyclist.
• On sidewalks, watch for pedestrians and pass them with care by first announcing “on your left” or “passing on your left” or use a bell.
• Even if riding on a sidewalk, ride in the same direction as traffic. This way, if the sidewalk ends, you are already
riding with the flow of traffic.
• If crossing a street, motorists will look left, right, left for traffic.
• Slow and look for traffic (left-rightleft and behind) when crossing a street from a sidewalk; be prepared to stop and follow the pedestrian signals; Slow down and look for cars backing out of driveways or turning.
Motorists
When Driving
• People on bicycles have the same rights and responsibilities as people behind the wheel of a vehicle.
• Yield to bicyclists as you would motorists and do not underestimate their speed. This will help avoid turning in front of a bicyclist traveling on the road or sidewalk, often at an intersection or driveway.
• In parking lots, at stop signs, when packing up, or when parking, search your surroundings for other vehicles, including bicycles.
• Drivers turning right on red should look to the right and behind to avoid hitting a bicyclist approaching from the right rear. Stop completely and look left-right-left and behind before turning right on red.
• Obey the speed limit, reduce speed for road conditions and drive defensively to avoid a crash with a cyclist.
• Give cyclists room. Do not pass too closely. Pass bicyclists as you would any other vehicle—when it’s safe to move over into an adjacent lane.
Getting out and getting rolling with your bike, rollerblades or other choice of ride is fun, healthy and—if we all to our part—safe.