Bicycling might be the true essence of freedom in transportation. No dependence on anyone to get around except yourself, no motor to make you drive out of control, and you can park your bike just about anywhere. Still, safety while riding a bicycle is just as important as with any other mode of transportation, especially when contending with motorized vehicles on roadways.
In the United States in 2015, there were over 1,000 bicyclist deaths, and nearly 437,000 injuries in which bicycles were a factor. Staying safe should be on everyone, but you are only responsible for yourself, so learning how to drive defensively is the key to true freedom in transportation.
Most deaths of bicyclists occur in urban areas and at non-intersection locations. It isn’t only the bicyclists in danger, either. Here are a few related facts, concerning those involved in bicycle-related accidents, as well as the bicycle riders themselves:
The most obvious answer here is to drive safely and defensively. Always be on the lookout for other vehicles of any kind, as well as pedestrians. You certainly don’t want to be hit, but you also don’t want to be the person hitting, or pushing someone into traffic.
Safe bicycle riding also involves the proper equipment. Namely, finding a properly-fitted helmet to avoid head injury. Be sure to ensure any children with you also wear them. Follow all helmet-related laws and, even if they aren’t required, wear one anyway, even for short rides.
Do not wear loose-fitting pants while riding, to avoid getting your clothing stuck in the mechanics of the bike, which could cause personal injury or a potential accident. Wear fluorescent clothing and/or retro-reflective clothing, as well as reflective tape.
If your bicycle isn’t already equipped with proper lights, be sure to have some installed. You should have red lights in the rear of the bike, white lights in front and, if possible, turn signals. Learning hand signals is critical, as well, but having lights is especially effective for night-time driving.
Adding reflective tape and other items to increase visibility to the bike itself will also help avoid accidents.
True freedom always comes with a little bit of preparation. You have to know how to handle your transportation freedom. You wouldn’t take your bicycle out onto a busy street before you knew how to ride it, so why not take the few extra steps to make sure you and your bike are prepared to protect yourselves and those around you?
blogs
Understanding California’s Lemon Law
Under California’s Lemon Law, you are protected as a consumer when a vehicle you have purchased is deemed defective and cannot be repaired after a reasonable number of repair attempts. This helps keeps dangerous vehicles off the road, leads you with legal recourse if you are sold a faulty vehicle, and helps get you back […]
What to Know About Arizona’s Lemon Law
Like many other states, Arizona has a Lemon Law in place to help protect consumers who buy faulty vehicles from being stuck with them with no recourse. Arizona’s lemon law, though, is a little different from other states, with certain restrictions in place that are specific to Arizona. Here are a few basic guidelines to […]
Benefits of a Dashboard Camera
As we all know, the streets and highways of California can be a wild place and accidents can happen. Collisions can range from disorienting to terrifying, and reconstructing the events around a crash can be a challenge in some cases. While there are more street and traffic light cameras than ever before, obviously not every angle of […]
What You Need to Know about Pain and Suffering in a Personal Injury Case
After a personal injury, you’re typically entitled to claim compensation for two types of damages; economic and non-economic. Economic damages are usually easy to quantify, and commonly include medical bills and lost wages. Non-economic damages on the other hand are difficult to measure, and often include pain and suffering. But what exactly is pain and […]
Looking Out for Motorcycles
In 2019, the number of deaths caused by motorcycles was found to be 29 times that of deaths caused by cars. Motorcycles can go very fast, they have no sides to protect the rider, they are more difficult to see on the road and they do not perform well in bad weather. While it is […]
Slip and Falls in Private Homes
Slips and falls are serious anywhere, but if you concentrate just on occurrences in private homes, an arresting statistic jumps out right away- falls are responsible for 50% of all accidental deaths in the home. Let’s take a look at two of the top causes of a slip and fall in a private home. We […]
How Dangerous Are Motorcycle Accidents?
Motorcyclists are more likely to die in a traffic accident than people inside passenger cars. In fact, they are 28 times more likely, due to a number of factors, including things like potential low visibility from the blind spots of other vehicles around them. Motorcycles are also most likely to be involved in collisions with […]
Bicycle Accidents
Bicycles may be a reliably safe mode of transportation but, as in so many accidents out in the world, the problem is not often with the mode of transportation you’re in, but how the person who hits you is traveling. Every year, more than 50,000 bicyclists are injured in collisions with automobiles. Too few of […]
Great Motorcycle Roads in Arizona
There’s no freer way to see the great state of Arizona than to travel it by motorcycle. Being one of the last gateways to the West Coast, our streets are manifold, so your options are virtually endless. Whether you’re touring to see the mountains, the wildlife, the succulents or other plants, or just visit towns […]
The Most Unsafe Era for Pedestrians in 40 Years
Pedestrian safety is of utmost importance right now, and not just because pedestrians legally have the right of way in most places in the United States. Being asafer pedestrian is always key to avoiding injuries by being aware of ones surroundings and avoiding distractions, but as it stands, North Americans are not stemming the tide […]
contact form
