Bicycle Safety

Bicycle-vehicle accidents involving bicyclists aged 25 or over are quite rare. Most adult bicyclists never have a serious accident. Unless you race, or do much off-road biking, chances are good that you won’t even take a minor spill.

As an adult, then, the first thing to realize is that risk of tangling with a vehicle is extremely low. The second is that studies by the American Automobile Association, and other safety organizations, have shown that of those accidents in which adults have been involved, 70 percent could have been avoided had the bicyclist taken precautionary action.

This doesn’t mean that the average bicycle-vehicle accident is the bicyclist’s fault. According to the AAA World Magazine (March-April 2008), in a high percentage of bicycle-car accidents, the auto driver is at fault.

What it does imply is that a bicycle is far more nimble and agile than an automobile. Thus a bicyclist can react to a situation, and can take evasive action, much more swiftly than a motorist can. By learning to ride defensively, we can avoid almost all risk of an accident.

The first step towards safe riding is to check your bike over carefully before leaving home (see the checklist at the beginning of section 5). Make sure that the wheels are secure and the brakes in good working order. You should replace worn tires, tubes and brake and gear cables before leaving home. It is especially important to check the mechanical condition of your bike frequently if you bought it at a discount store, where it may have been assembled by poorly trained employees.

We’ve all driven cars and know how difficult it is to see a small object such as a bicycle or pedestrian. Most drivers are looking only for large objects. Small objects, such as bicycles, are slow to register in the central processing system of the average driver’s brain. Thus most bicycle-auto accidents occur because the motorist fails to see the bicyclist.

Bearing this in mind, here are the cardinal rules for riding safely and accident-free.

Rules of the Road for Bicyclists

Always Ride on the Right

Always stay to the right and obey all traffic rules and signs exactly as if you were driving an automobile. A bicycle is a legal vehicle in all 50 states, and you are legally obligated to keep to the right. Riding on the left confuses motorists and places you in imminent danger of a head-on collision with every vehicle you meet. One-fifth of all car-bicycle accidents occur as a result of the bicyclist riding on the left. There is no advantage whatever in facing oncoming traffic, and riding on the left can be hazardous at intersections. In the northwestern states, you may be ticketed for riding on the left.

(Naturally, if touring in countries like Britain, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand, you do ride on the left. This takes a little getting used to at first. But I’ve found that once I start off on the left, I can easily remain there the rest of the day.)

Never Ride at Night without Proper Bike-Lighting, Reflectors and Night-Riding Experience

Never ride after dark, or at dusk, or in fog or heavy rain, or in poor visibility of any kind. Over 40 percent of collisions between bicycles and vehicles occur between 6P.M. and 6A.M., mostly in the dark. It’s a good idea to carry reflective leg-bands or a bicycle light in case you get caught in the dark. Ankle lights are lightweight and provide additional visibility by bobbing up and down as you pedal.

Be cautious, also, when the sun is rising or setting. Even in clear weather, there is a strong possibility that a driver heading toward a low sun may not see you. Give such drivers a wide berth, and whenever you are cycling directly into the sun, monitor traffic behind you especially carefully with your rear-view mirror.

Something to remember is that two or more bicyclists riding in single file are more visible than a single rider and cause motorists to exercise greater care.

kop-9-120.jpg Wearing a helmet dramatically reduces your chances of suffering serious in jury in an accident. A variety of effective, lightweight helmets is now available for cyclists of all ages.

Always Wear a Helmet

Almost all fatalities resulting from bicycle accidents are caused by injuries to the head and brain. Yet statistics show that almost 80 percent of these accidents could have been entirely prevented by wearing a helmet.

Additionally, wearing a helmet, along with a bright jersey, gives you a smart, professional look and it distinguishes you from casual riders and youngsters, many of whom ride carelessly and give motorists cause for concern. Motorists recognize that bicyclists who wear helmets and bright, visible attire are responsible, law-abiding road users. As a result, most auto drivers show greater respect.

The old leather-covered hairnet helmet has long been replaced by lightweight hard-shell helmets that are far more effective. More recently, a new generation of shell-less all-foam helmets weighing only half a pound or so have become very popular. A wide selection of these attractive lightweights is now available. Made of dense Styrofoam, and without an outer shell, they depend on shock absorbency for protection and they are enclosed only by a colorful fabric cover. They are light, cool, airy, brightly visible, and very comfortable.

Most helmets have an active ventilation system that pulls air through, making it very little hotter to wear a helmet than to go bareheaded. Pads fastened with Velcro to the inside of the helmet are used to ensure a snug fit without being tight. And though the quick-release chinstrap may seem inconvenient at first, most bicyclists become completely accustomed to a helmet after a single ride.

Helmets come in different shapes, styles, and sizes. Try on several to find the one that looks and fits best. A helmet should also permit good visibility. Most important, make sure that any helmet you buy has been approved by either ANSI (American National Standards Institute) or the Snell Memorial Foundation. Both submit helmets to rigid energy-absorbing tests before approval. ANSI approval is considered sufficient for most types of riding while Snell-approved helmets must meet even higher impact-test standards. A helmet approved by one or the other must be worn at all amateur races sanctioned by the United States Cycling Federation (USCF).

Hard-shell helmets are still available. Consisting of a rigid polymer outer shell, they contain a polystyrene foam liner and they are preferred by some riders who believe they provide superior protection. However, tests have shown that soft-shell helmets provide equal protection.

Because materials used in helmets deteriorate with time, helmets should be replaced every 5 years. If you crash and suspect that your helmet may have an invisible hairline fracture, most manufacturers will check it and, if damaged, replace it free of charge.

Be Highly Visible

Whether you wear regular clothing or cycle-wear, always choose the brightest colors. Bright yellow, orange, or pink are the colors most readily seen by motorists. Nowadays, sporty, fashionable de signer bike-wear is available in bold new colors like neon green and hot pink, and many are fluorescent for greater visibility.

Raingear should also be bright yellow or orange with reflective strips for greater visibility. Bright yellow touring bags are also available. And many soft-shell helmet covers also sport vibrant colors.

Some touring cyclists still use bright orange flags carried aloft on a plastic rod. However, if you have a brightly colored helmet, jersey, and touring bags, a flag is really unnecessary. Besides, it creates added wind resistance.

If you bicycle in ordinary clothes, a white shirt and a yellow nylon windbreaker are both easily seen from a distance.

Always Use a Rear-View Mirror

In light winds you can hear cars approaching from behind, but in stronger winds you must glance in your rear-view mirror to check on vehicles approaching from the rear. The best rear-view is pro vided by Third Eye plastic ball-and-socket mirrors, which have a large, round adjustable mirror on a long arm. They will fit onto either glasses or a helmet. If you wear glasses, it’s a good idea to use an elastic sports strap around the back of the head to hold your glasses and mirror in place.

Mirrors are also available to fit on handlebars or brake levers, but these are easily damaged especially when you must turn the bicycle upside down for repairs or carry it inside a car. Nonetheless, some easily detachable models seem worthwhile.

Never Wear Headphones

You should never wear headphones while bicycling. You must be able to listen: first, for cars; and second, to your gears so that you can adjust them to run silently.

Carefully Ride Through a Tunnel

Some short tunnels in the Pacific Northwest may have pushbutton controls that warn motorists that a bicyclist is inside the tunnel. Elsewhere, don’t attempt it. If there is a sidewalk wide enough to accommodate you and the bicycle, you can walk through a short tunnel provided it is lighted or you have a powerful flashlight. Otherwise, hitch a ride through on a pickup truck.

Scan Ahead for Potential Hazards

Look well ahead and try to identify possible dangers in advance. Keep at least 4 feet away from parked cars and watch for people inside, though headrests may impede your view. People may step out from between parked cars or a car door can be flung open in your face. If a car pulls to the side of the road ahead of you, be especially alert for opening doors. Watch also for vehicles entering from cross streets or driveways. Always assume they haven’t seen you.

How to Stay Safe on the Highway

Highways with wide shoulders are always safer than roads with out shoulders. When riding a two-lane highway without shoulders, watch for vehicles approaching from both in front and behind. For example, a car may be overtaking you while at the same time, another car may overtake it. The second driver cannot see you from the far-back point at which he began to overtake.

Or a car from behind, and a car from in front, may pass each other immediately abreast of you. In either case, if the road is narrow, the safest thing to do is to slow down, turn on to the shoulder, and stop.

The same defensive action should be used to deal with a car that is approaching from in front while another approaching car is overtaking it in your lane. The overtaking driver simply cannot see you from the far-back distance at which he began to overtake.

While such incidents are comparatively rare, you should stay alert to the possibility. Try to anticipate them in time to slow down and get off the road safely. With a mountain bike you can safely take to the shoulder without risking a spill. But on road bikes with narrow tires, it’s best to slow down before turning onto the grass or dirt shoulder and stopping.

The law requires bicycles to be ridden as far to the right as practicable. Most experienced riders stay 3 - 4 feet from the road edge. If an overtaking car appears to be uncomfortably close, they still have 2 - 3 feet of space in which to move closer to the edge.

You should never deliberately block or slow down cars behind you. Wherever there is any traffic about, you must always ride in single file. If one or more cars are unable to overtake and pass you, stop and allow them to go by.

Finally, if you stop to rest or check your bike, push it completely off the road.

Watch Out for Other Hazards

Other possible hazards to watch for are rough pavement, pot holes, steel manhole covers, painted pavement, bridge expansion joints, steel or wood bridge surfaces, oil patches, gravel, ice, water, wet leaves, or cinders, on any of which you can skid or slide, particularly in wet weather. Always cross railway and streetcar tracks and cattle guards at right angles. They, too, can be slippery when wet.

Sand patches, which often build up at intersections, corners, and the bottoms of hills, can be especially treacherous. Sand is particularly tricky if you are turning; the best tactic is to slow down, stop pedaling, and steer in a straight line until you’re out of the sand.

Although most sewer gratings with parallel grid bars have been removed, some may still remain and these can swallow a bicycle wheel. Low-water crossings (fords) in Texas and elsewhere — where shallow water runs continuously across a roadway — can become coated with algae that is so unbelievably slippery that your bike can slide sideways under you. To cross one safely, have only sufficient momentum to reach the other side without pedaling. Don’t pedal, brake, or wobble en route. If the ford is too long or too deep, hitch a ride across on a pick-up truck.

Allow for Less Efficient Braking in Wet Weather

Wet weather cuts the efficiency of bicycle brakes in half. On a wet road you need nearly 60 feet to stop at 15 m.p.h. In wet conditions you should begin to brake much sooner than normal. And to prevent skidding, you should also avoid braking hard on a wet road. If you must stop quickly, hunch down on the drops while you sit well back in the saddle and pump the brakes.

Be Doubly Careful at Intersections

Intersections are the most hazardous area for bicyclists, especially busy, multilane intersections with separate left-turn traffic lanes. To begin with, a bicycle is too small to trigger the buried coils that switch on the left-turn signal. So if you decide to go into the left- turn lane, you must allow a car to take first place.

Another situation: if you stop at the curb and plan to ride straight across, the car alongside you may plan to turn right. But you can’t see his turn signals. Or if you plan to turn right and he turns right at the same time, there’s going to be a squeeze.

If you must turn left at a multilane intersection, consider riding straight across to the other side, then crossing as a pedestrian. The same strategy may be advisable when turning left at any intersection. The reason is that motorists in the opposite lane may not see you.

At intersections of two-lane roads, always yield to motorists unless they signal you to go ahead. At an intersection with a traffic light, always start off promptly on the green light. Don’t hold up traffic while you place your second foot in the toeclip.

Be exceptionally careful at all intersections, even those with stop signs (which cyclists, as well as motorists, should obey). When a bicyclist has the right of way at a stop sign, a car coming from the left may fail to see the bicyclist. Most accidents at intersections occur because the motorist doesn’t see the bicyclist.

Too, never try to beat a red light. A motorist may try to beat it at the same time. And always yield at “yield” signs.

A bicyclist must use hand signals to indicate turns. For a left turn, extend the left arm out to the side. For a right turn, either extend the right arm or hold the left arm up with elbow bent.

Avoid Rush-Hour Traffic

Try to avoid bicycling in or near cities during busy weekday rush- hour periods. In most places traffic is busiest between 7-9 a.m. and 3:30-6 p.m. Traffic is usually light on both Saturday and Sunday mornings but builds up later in the day. Early on Sunday morning, until around 10 a.m., you can ride safely almost anywhere.

Most experienced bicyclists consider bicycle paths to be more dangerous than streets or roads. There are two types: painted paths that run along the edge of a road; and bicycle paths that are completely separate from streets.

When riding on bike paths that border roads, you must constantly watch for car doors opening or for drivers turning out of driveways. And at intersections these bike paths usually disappear, leaving the bicyclist to fend for herself or himself. (In Boulder, Colorado, and some other bike-friendly cities, bicyclists have their own left-turn lanes.)

The trouble is that separate bike paths are frequently cluttered by joggers, pedestrians, and slow bicyclists, all of whom have the right of way over fast bicyclists.

Frankly, I recommend that adult bicyclists avoid all traffic problems by using their cars to transport themselves and their bicycles out of congested urban areas and into safe, rural locales before beginning to bicycle. Even though I live in a city of only 25,000, I drive out at least 12 miles in order to reach traffic-free back roads before beginning to ride.

How to Handle Dogs

In some areas, loose dogs can be a hazard. If one dashes out at you, point back at its house and in a loud, stern voice, order it to return immediately; 50 percent of dogs will turn back.

If a dog continues on, you might consider outriding it. If this isn’t practical, stop, get off, and place the bicycle between you and the dog. Continue ordering the dog back. If that doesn’t work, spray the dog with water from your water bottle. As a last resort, place the bike on the ground and throw rocks at the dog.

If dogs appear to be a hazard in your area, we recommend purchasing a can of Halt, a dog repellent endorsed by the U.S. Post Office. It is sold at many bike shops. Even though it’s difficult to hit a dog’s head while riding, the noise and sight of the yellow jet will cause most dogs to turn back. Otherwise, get off and spray the dog in the face. It will be unable to see for several minutes.

In rural areas, vultures, deer, cattle, sheep, goats, and horses may dash out in front of a bicycle and can cause a collision.

Never Show Your Driver’s License for a Bicycle Offense

Should you be stopped by a police officer and ticketed for a bicycle offense, avoid showing your driver’s license as identification. If not driving a motor vehicle, you are not obligated to show a driver’s license. A number of bicyclists have had bicycling violations recorded by police on their driver’s licenses. If speeding on a bicycle is the offense, it can result in an increase to your auto insurance premium. Hence it’s wise not to break any speed limits while bicycling.

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