Yes, you are seeing more bikes on the road than ever before. The $61 billion global bicycle industry produces 100+ million new bicycles annually) . And that doesn’t count the number of old bikes cleaned up and put into service. When gas prices go up, so does the number of people pedaling bikes . . . .
Some people are commuting to work or to public transportation stops by bike. Good for them! Maybe in the future more U.S. kids will be forced (horrors!) to walk to school as bus routes are scaled back to save fuel. Maybe we could borrow an idea from Reggio Emilia, Italy, where they’ve invented the “BiciBus.” Kids wait at a stop with their bikes, ride to school in a pack chaperoned by adults. Great idea! Saves fuel, gets kids active, and teaches them how to ride safely.
Riding safely is critical, and it’s a learned skill. An appalling number of the bike riders on the roads clearly have no clue about how, and where to ride a bike safely.
According to the website www.helmets.org, (which has excellent instructions for buying and fitting a bike helmet and lots of information on why you MUST wear one), there are about 85 million bike riders in the U.S. About 540,000 injured cyclists are treated in emergency rooms every year. Of those, about 67,000 have head injuries, and 27,000 of those are hospitalized. In 2006, 770 bicyclists died on U.S. roads, over 90 percent in crashes with motor vehicles.
Most such accidents could be prevented if both cyclists and motorists pay more attention to their surroundings, display common sense and courtesy, and obey the rules of the road. For motorists, that means being aware of cyclists, giving bicycles as much room as you can, passing safely, and checking your rearview mirror before you open the street-side door if you are parallel parked.
Cyclists bear a heavier burden of responsibility. After all, they are the ones who really get hurt if something goes wrong. Having the “right of way” doesn’t do you might good if you end up in an ambulance.
Here are some basic rules for keeping yourself safe on a bike:
1) Ride Aware: Use your eyes (wear eye protection!) and ears to keep track of motor vehicles (in front and behind), other cyclists, pedestrians, dogs and other road hazards. The more aware you are, the more advance notice you have of potential trouble, the more time you have to avoid it. Never ride with headphones and never talk on a cell phone while you are pedaling (yes, I’ve actually seen it . . .)
2) Obey traffic laws: legally, bikes are vehicles, which means you must ride on the right with the flow of traffic and obey all stop signs and other traffic signals. Running stop signs and red lights, and riding against traffic are recipes for disaster.
3) Ride predictably: You are much safer if you ride in single file, signal turns, don’t weave in and out of traffic, or dart from sidewalks, side streets or alleys.
4) Ride defensively: No matter what the law says, you don’t have the right of way unless someone consciously yields it to you. If you challenge enough cars and trucks, eventually you will lose. Remember, a certain percentage of those drivers are texting, talking on cell phones, yelling at their kids, grooving to tunes, drug or alcohol impaired and otherwise not paying full attention to their driving.
5) Be Seen, Be Safe. Many experienced road cyclists dress in garish, neon colors, the better to be seen. On dark days, in the evening or at night, use a headlight, a tail light and reflective clothing . For years, I’ve worn gear from Illuminite that’s well designed and really shines in a car’s headlights.
It’s really all common sense, isn’t it? Ridden safely, bikes are energy efficient, healthy and fun. Life isn’t a spectator sport. Get out and enjoy!
Bike Safety Sources
For more excellent information on sharing the road with cars: www.bicyclesafe.com, www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/traffic, www.humantransport.org/bicycledriving/roadvogue, and www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts .
Books on the subject: “The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street” by Robert Hurst and Marla Streb is a solid overview; “Effective Cycling” by John Forester apparently advances some very, very controversial ideas.
The Bike-Walk Alliance of NH, which puts on excellent “Bike Smart” programs in schools, also distributes a flyer with good safety tips.
WEAR A HELMET!!!
Many states mandate bike helmets for kids, not for adults. They assume adults are smart enough to always wear a helmet when they ride.
Estimates vary, but anywhere from 45 to 88 per cent of the brain injuries suffered in bike accidents can be prevented just by wearing a helmet.
Don’t give me some line about how uncomfortable or how expensive they are, or how much they restrict your freedom or muss your hair. A helmet can keep you out of a wheelchair. Get a helmet that fits and wear it! (Sorry to sound so bossy, but I want you around to read future stories.)
Modern helmets are cheap, have plenty of ventilation so they stay cool. The best ones have a slick, hard plastic skin over protective foam
Your helmet should fit snugly and level on your head. When you look up, the front rim should be barely visible.
If you don’t fasten the straps, you aren’t really wearing a helmet! The “Y” of the side straps should meet just below your ear, and the chin strap should be snug enough so that when you open your mouth very wide you feel the helmet pull down.
If the helmet moves when you shake your head, or if you can push the front edge up more than an inch, it’s too loose—tighten the straps, add thicker fit pads or get another helmet.
Never throw or drop your helmet. If it’s damaged in any way, replace it. After a few years, replace it anyway; UV light breaks down the foam, potentially reducing its effectiveness.
Once again, I’ll repeat the basic rule of bike helmets: get one; wear it!
Bike Safety Check
I know it’s just common sense, but before you jump on your bike, make sure the tires are properly inflated (too much is as bad as too little; the correct range will be on the tire’s sidewall), check to see that your brakes work, that the chain isn’t so loose it’s going to come off, that your handlebars and seat are secure, and that the quick release levers which hold the wheels on the bike are properly tightened and seated. It’ll take 30 seconds, tops, and will help keep you safe.