Bike shop Upland: Common crashes #10: Rear End (variation 2)

Our bike shop Upland exposes the top ten most common bike crashes, from Bicyclesafe.com. Find expanded info on their site.

#10 Rear End (variation 2)
A car runs into you from behind. This is a very commonly feared crash, but it does not happen frequently. It makes up only 3.8% of collisions. However, it is very difficult to avoid, since you are not usually looking behind you.

How to avoid this wreck:

1. Use a rear light. If you're riding at night, you absolutely should use a flashing red rear light. Bruce Mackey (formerly of Florida, now head of bike safety in Nevada) says that 60% of bike collisions in Florida are caused by cyclists riding at night without lights. In 1999, 39% of deaths on bicycles nationwide occurred between 6 p.m. and midnight. [USA Today, 10-22-01, attributed to the Insurance Institute for highway safety]

2. Wear a safety triangle or reflective vest. Just do it. Reflective gear makes you a lot more visible even in the day time as well.

3. Use wide streets. Ride on streets where the outside lane is wide enough for a car and a bike, side by side. That way a car may speed past you and avoid hitting you, even if they did not see you!

4. Use slow streets.The slower a car is going, the more time the driver has to see you. Avoid arterials, especially on weekends.

5. Use a mirror. Get a mirror and use it. If it appears a car doesn't see you, get off your bike and onto the sidewalk.

6. Do not hug the curb. This is counter-intuitive, but allow some space between yourself and the curb. That gives you room to move into if you need to. Doing so prevents a number of common accidents.

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Bike shop Upland: Common crashes #7: Right Hook 2

This post is part of our bike shop Upland's blog series exposing the top ten situations that cause bike wrecks, from Bicyclesafe.com. You are passing a slow-moving vehicle (or another bike) on the right, when it unexpectedly makes a right turn, entering a parking lot, driveway or side street, hitting you.

Common crash #7: Right Hook 2
How to avoid this wreck:

1. Do not pass on the right. This crash is very easy to avoid. Just do not pass any vehicle on the right. If a car ahead of you is going only 10 mph, then you slow down to 10 miles per hour behind it. Pass on the left when it is safe to.

When passing cyclists on the left, call out "On your left!" before you start passing. If they are riding too far to the left for you to left-pass safely, then call "On your right!" before passing on the right.

Be very cautious passing stopped cars at a light. They cannot see you approaching, and someone could throw open a door.

When tailing a slow-moving vehicle, ride behind it, never in their blindspot. Allow enough room to brake, in case a car in front of you turns right.

2. Look behind you before you turn right. This is how you avoid hitting cyclists who violate tip #1 above and try to pass you on the right.

Bike Shop Ontario: Common crashes #6: The Right Hook

Our bike shop Ontario is running a series on our blog exposing the top ten situations that cause bike wrecks, from Bicyclesafe.com.
#6 The Right HookIn this crash, a car passing you turns right turn directly in front of you, or right into you. The driver does not realize the speed you are traveling, and that they do not have time to pass. This crash is hard to avoid because you don't see it coming until the last second, and there is nowhere for you to go when you do see it.

How to avoid this crash:

1. Do not ride on the sidewalk. When you come off the sidewalk to cross the street you're invisible to motorists.

2. Ride to the left. Taking up the whole lane makes it harder for drivers to pass you to cut you off or turn into you. Don't feel bad about taking the lane: by doing so you are protecting your life. If the lane you're in isn't wide enough for cars to pass you safely, then you should be taking the whole lane anyway. 

3. Get a mirror, and use it when approaching an intersection. Be sure to look in your mirror well before you arrive at the intersection. When you get to the intersection, you need to look ahead of you.

Bike shop Upland: Common crashes #5: Red Light of Death

Our bike shop Upland is running a series on our blog exposing the top ten situations that cause bike wrecks, from Bicyclesafe.com.

Wreck #5: Red Light of Death

You stop on the right of a car at a red light or stop sign. They can not see you. When the light turns green, you advance, and then they turn right, slamming you.
This can happen with any size of vehicle, but this scenario is especially dangerous when it's a bus or other large vehicle that you're stopping next to. In 1994, an Austin cyclist was killed this way when he stopped to the right of a semi, and it turned right. He was crushed under its wheels.

 

How to avoid this wreck: Do not stop in a vehicle's blindspot.
Simply stop behind a vehicle, rather than to the right of it, as per the diagram below. In the diagram, you can see how visible this cyclist will be on all sides. The car behind them will see them directly in front.

Bike shop Chino Hills: common crashes #3: The Crosswalk Slam

Our bike shop Chino Hills is running this series of posts about the most common bike accidents, from Bicyclesafe.com.
#3 The Crosswalk Slam
You're riding on the sidewalk. You enter a crosswalk, and a car makes a right turn, crashing into you.
Drivers will not expect bikes in the crosswalk, and it's hard for them to see you when turning from one street to another, so this is a very easy way for you to get hit.  One study showed that sidewalk-riding was twice as dangerous as road riding, and another study indicated even more so.

How to avoid this accident:

1. Get a headlight. If you're riding at night, a headlight is absolutely essential. It's required by law in most cities.

2. Slow down. Slow down enough that you're able to stop completely if you need to.

3. Don't ride on the sidewalks.  Crossing between sidewalks is a pretty dangerous move. If you do it on the left-hand side of the street, you risk getting slammed as pictured in the diagram. If you do it on the right-hand side of the street, you risk getting hit by a car behind you turning right.  Sidewalk riding also puts you in the path of cars pulling out of parking lots or driveways.

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