3 Top Safety Tips for Cyclists on the Road

Being A Move (or Five) Ahead of Motorists

Anyone who has ridden a bike for an extended period of time has probably had some close calls when cycling in heavy — sometimes even light traffic. While some of those times may be a result of carelessness or multitasking on the part of the rider, we are all too well aware of how distracted and careless drivers can be.

It should suffice to say that defensive riding is the number one way to prevent accidents when out there in the cold street. One reason for that comes from this road proverb: You can drive a truck between what motorists ought to do - what they're legally obliged to do - versus what they actually do. Just because I have the right of way does not mean I can proceed in the comfort that my rights, life and limb will not be violated.

So let's examine a few of the most common places to be aware of danger so that you may avoid nasty collisions or falls.


Cars Turning Right

When passing a motorist (or when one passes you) take a quick second to look through the window of the car. You will be amazed at how much you can divine of a motorist's knowledge and intentions.

Did he see you? Is he looking in his rear or side view mirror? Is he slowing down to make the right turn? Is he concentrated on the flow of incoming traffic— without looking back at you?

Remember - no matter how much it doesn't seem like it - motorists don't want to hit you either. Give them the benefit of the doubt and slow down a bit when you are in a place that you can tell it could be dangerous if motorists are distracted.

Cars Turning Left

Typically, seeing a car that is turning left is not too difficult to do. However, if you are riding in dense traffic, sometimes the traffic going in your same direction can hide a left-turning motorist from your view. If you have to ride in traffic like that, look for an opening in the traffic in front of you. The likeliest reason for this space is to allow a vehicle to cross the road, right in front of you.

Attentive Posture

Many of us who have ridden for a long time know fellow riders who tend to crash more than others. Typically, these are the inattentive riders. This might be excused, but for the consequences. At some point inattentiveness, and the disinclination to practice defensive riding, shifts the blame onto the cyclist. When you decide to engage in the sport of cycling, you're the one who'll pay the steepest price in an accident, regardless of whom is at fault.

The safest posture is to assume the worst from those on the other side. Then, you'll be pleasantly surprised when these drivers do the right thing and, more to the point, you're more likely to arrive home safe and sound and able to ride another day.

Come to Bumstead's Bicycles today. We can help you pick out different accessories and safety equipment like helmets, lights, mirrors and more! Plus, we have great road bikes from Trek including BRAND NEW 2014 Bikes from Trek!

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.

Find the safety gear you need at http://www.bumsteadbikes.com/

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 #4: the Wrong Way Wreck

Our bike shop Ontario is running a series of posts exposing the top ten scenarios of bike wrecks. More about these collisions and other great info is available at Bicyclesafe.com.

#4 The Wrong Way Wreck
You are riding the wrong way, the left side, against traffic. A car makes a right turn from a side street, driveway, or parking lot, crashing into you. They didn't see you because they were looking for traffic only on their left, not on their right. They don't expect someone coming at them from the wrong direction.

In another variation of the Wrong Way Wreck, you could be hit by a car on the same road, coming at you from straight ahead of you. Riding towards cars gives them less response time, and causes a more serious wreck.

How to avoid this accident:

Don't ride against traffic. Ride with traffic, in the same direction.

Riding against traffic may seem like a good idea because you can see the cars that are passing you, but it's not. For more explanation about why, check out the Bicyclesafe.com website.

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.

Bike shop Ontario: Common crashes #2:

Our bike shop Ontario is running a series of blogs exposing the top ten situations that cause bike wrecks, drawing from Bicyclesafe.com.

The #2 most common bike accident they call: The Door Prize

A driver opens their door right in front of you.  If you don't have time to brake, you crash into it. 

This kind of wreck is more common than you might think:  It's the second-most common car-bike crash in Toronto, and holds the title for #1 crash in Santa Barbara. Bicyclesafe.com has made a list of cyclists killed by running into open car doors.

How to avoid this wreck:

Ride to the left! Ride far enough to the left that you won't run into any door that's opened unexpectedly. Riding further left (than curb and parking lane) is recommended to avoid several of the most common bike accidents.

Bike shop upland: Common crashes #1: The Right Cross

Our bike shop Upland is running a series of blog posts exposing the top ten situations that cause bike accidents, from Bicyclesafe.com. We begin with the number one most common bike wreck: The Right CrossA vehicle is pulling out of a side street, parking lot, or driveway on the right. Note that this collision can happen one of two ways:  1.) you are in front of the car and the car hits you, or 2.) the car pulls out in front of you and you crash into it.
How to avoid this collision:
1. Get a headlight. A good headlight is something you can't ride without at night, but it can increase your visibility in the daytime too.
2. Get the driver's attention. Catch their eye if you can, ring your bell, honk, wave, whatever it takes.
3. Slow down. Stop if necessary. Yes, its a hassle, but worth it!
4. Ride further to the left. Many riders feel safer riding hugging the right curb of the road, but moving further to the left can actually prevent many of the most common bike wrecks. The "B" line in the diagram above is the best place to ride.

Bike shop Ontario: Safe cycling please!

As owners of bike shop ontario, there is nothing worse than hearing that a cyclist in our community been injured or killed in a car-bike collision.

Image by Paul Krueger

When you come into our shop, we'll make sure you find a good helmet that fits well, reducing your risk of head injury by up to 85%.  But while helmets can help you survive an accident in tact, they can not prevent one.
We will also hook you up with good lights and a reliable bicycle, but those things are not enough either.
Sadly, most of the accidents that happen are not caused by cyclists breaking traffic laws, but by drivers who are not being careful and looking out for bicycles. So following the law, while encouraged, cannot necessarily prevent all accidents either.
The thing that statistically reduces risk of accidents is defensive bicycling...not putting yourself in the position where a driver's failure to see you could take your life. Austin cyclist Michael Bluejay has done a lot of research and put together this excellent website Bicyclesafe.com. He makes his research, tips, and safety diagrams available for free use, so we will be sharing excerpts of the site in our series about the most common bike wrecks in the next couple weeks.