Life on two wheels is exciting and bicycles are great exercise. But sharing the road with cars can be a harrowing experience. The obvious piece of advice is “wear a helmet,” but a helmet offers you ZERO protection from a swerving car or distracted driver. Bike-related injuries annually land more than 500,000 people in emergency rooms and kill 700.
For situational safety and specific traffic dangers, the authority on this is BicycleSafe.com. We’ve got some more general advice, based on personal experience and research.
- Stay hyper alert. From opening car doors to distracted drivers, you’ve got a load of risks to manage.
- Get a headlight. At night, they are required by law, but a strobing or bright light can help drivers see you during daylight hours, too.
- Slow down. Any time you can’t make eye contact with a driver who is nearing your bike, reduce your speed.
- Don’t ride on the sidewalk. If you think cars aren’t looking for you on the road, try being on a sidewalk. They have NO reason to expect you crossing a street from there.
- Don’t ride against traffic. Again, cars are not expecting you and a head-on collision is one of the most dangerous. One study estimated that riding the wrong way was three times as dangerous as riding the right way, and for kids, the risk was seven times greater.
- Move out of a car’s blind spot. This holds for when you’re moving and at a stop.
- Pass on the left only. You’re asking to get hit by a right turn if you pass on that side.
- Wear bright clothing during the day and reflective at night.
- Get a mirror. A mirror for your handlebars is cheap and lets you see what cars are doing before you make a move.
