Advocacy & Safety - Biggest easily made improvements in safety?

Opinions? For most riders I'd think -

- Learn how to use your front brake effectively; many riders can't, and it's the key to effective braking. A road bike should be able to stop from 30mph in 12m. Sheldon Brown has a good braking how-to on his site.

- Ride with bright strobes at night, including ones visible from the sides.

- Increase your awareness of the most typical scenarios for serious accidents and tactics for how to avoid them; e.g. riding further out to avoid getting hit by cars, watching out for cars that might turn into you at junctions, learning the "bike messenger's hook."

- If you regularly do rides in heavy rain, fit rain brake pads or a fork with a good disc brake, and get even brighter lights if you're going to be riding at night . Rain absorbs light.

- Don't be cheap (or over concerned with rolling resistance and supposed speed) with tyres. Good cornering and braking ability might cost extra or involve trade offs, but they can save your life.

- Learn how to do an emergency turn using deliberate counter steer.

In addition to what has been said above:

*Learn how to keep a straight line (my personal pet peeve - folks who weave five feet in either direction)

*Learn how to glance rearwards (for that matter, in all directions) whilst retaining your line and balance

*Ride with the flow of traffic

*If you must ride on the sidewalk, do not alternate between the sidewalk and the street without warning. Likewise, ride with the general flow of traffic on the sidewalk just the same - folks pulling out of driveways will be looking in the direction of the oncoming traffic.

*Ride predictably.

*Try to predict the actions of other moving objects in your surroundings (vehicles, dogs, pedestrians, etc). If their path is not definite, or you feel that they may change their current course, assume that their next movement will be the most unexpected, boneheaded, or stupid maneuver physically possible - one that will take them into your path of travel. Be ready with an exit strategy at all times, just in case.

*Signal your turns, signal your stops

*Wave timid motorists to pass when safe

*Do not ride in the gutter or the door zone - move farther right when common sense would indicate it.
*If nothing else, slow at intersections to check traffic before proceeding

*Pass other riders at a safe distance and with a clearly audible warning before you begin your pass

*Ignore idiotic riders and pedestrians who chide you for your "on your left" warnings. Do not respond to them, even if they yell in your face. These people thrive on attentions and arguments.

*Scan the road and shoulders as far as your eye can see for any potential hazards up ahead, whether motor vehicles or otherwise

*Beware of dog walkers. Always make a quick note of whether the dog is leashed, and if so, the amount of leash the owner is giving the dog. Take note if it is a retractable leash, and if so, assume that it is not in the locked position. Move to the center or left edge of your lane if possible, and if you feel that the dog may dart out at you, take the second lane to the left, provided there is no traffic (whether oncoming in the case of a two-lane two-way, or parallel for a two-lane in the same direction).

*And always - absolutely always - be vigilant. Roadways are not safe places to have a conversation while meandering in complete oblivion to your surroundings (neither are busy MUP's). Stay alert (not paranoid, but alert), and know what is happening around you.

-Kurt

*Learn how to glance rearwards (for that matter, in all directions) whilst retaining your line and balance


+1

i have seen many cyclists swerve dangerously into the line of traffic while shoulder checking, and i've been thinking over the last couple of years that this swerve is likely the cause of a great many of the struck-from-behind accidents.

I'd hazard a guess that hit-from-behind accidents are more likely due to weaving curb-huggers + opportunistic motorists then from inexperienced cyclists trying to look over their shoulder.

-Kurt

buy a rearview mirror and learn to use it. Nothing else has helped me more to evaluate cars coming up behind me.

I think it's certainly true that if a rider can't look behind him without weaving, then he should practice.

Keeping a line is important, but I thought it was too basic. I was probably wrong! There are skills involved even here - looking ahead, going "light" for minor obstacles.

Another thought on tyres is that some people on 700c bikes go for too narrow a tyre and then have to maneuver past every discarded cigarette end. An urban ride isn't the Tour De France, and 22mm 120PSI tyres are not be the best choice. Even the Tour goes to 28mm for some of its rougher roads.

Keeping a line is important, but I thought it was too basic. I was probably wrong!

Thanks for reminding me to strap my digital camera to the front rack of my Raleigh Alyeska. I'll get you more footage then you'd ever care to see of Miami's severely weaving cyclists. For that matter, I don't mean the drunkards. Anyone who has ridden around here enough will say that that they keep a far steadier line then most local leisure cyclists.

-Kurt

route choice.

Additions:


If under the influence of alcohol or other drug, do not ride and walk only with care.
Maintain an appropriate speed for conditions
Ride, ride, ride -- it's safer than the couch

Run your safety lights all the time... Planet bike superflash, and a 1W front flasher minimums.

Daytime visible superblinkies increase your visibility.

Useful links:

http://bicyclesafe.com/

http://www.oldskooltrack.com/files/street.tech.frame.html

http://www.johnforester.com/ and http://www.johnforester.com/BTEO/ECIM6.pdf, especilly the accident type statistics on pages 7 & 8

Other thought: hard tail MTB's are excellent street bikes if slicked up, but if offroad and "compromise" trail tyres can be killers. Typical trail tyres roll forwards ok, due to a unbroken centre section, but they're knobbed on the edges. These knobs bend bend while cornering. In a mild case a bike drifts sideways, which is bad enough, in a bad one it slides out from underneath the rider. Often people don't learn about this characteristic until they have to do an emergency manouver. If you want dual purpose MTB tyres for riding in traffic, get those Marathons with the inset hexagon grips that you see on police bikes.

Run your safety lights all the time... Planet bike superflash, and a 1W front flasher minimums.

Daytime visible superblinkies increase your visibility.


Yes, the last bike accident I saw ended with a guy hospitalized because he zoomed up the high side of locked traffic at 20-25mph and into a maneuvering car that didn't see him. The bike helmet he was wearing didn't help him; a strobe might well have done. Wearing stealth black and not knowing how to make an emergency stop were mistakes for him too. Strobes are ***terrific***

Definitely be more visible at night. Hi-viz vest / sash, and light coloured clothes. Getting high-viz bands to put around my ankles was something I did after seeing them on another cyclist - they work very well as they are visible from any direction (being circular), and the up/down motion marks you out as a cyclist very distinctively. I've had a few motorists comment favourably on them when pulled up next to me at junctions.

I have to say, I'm not totally sold on strobes, especially in the wet. I think the bright flashing can be very dazzling and distracting. I've read (and anecdotally agree with) opinions that it is harder to gauge the distance between you and a flashing light, compared to a steady one. That said, I can also see it might gain more attention.
My solution is to run with three rear lights; the brightest one I run on steady, then I have another slightly less bright one set to flash mounted alongside. I then have a small blinky mounted to my backpack.
That's just my opinion though, and is a small issue really. The number of people who ride in the dark wearing black and with no lights or one faint blinky amazes me.

Learn to signal without wobbling, and then use them. Not just for junctions, but for lane changes etc. And make it obvious. A lot of cyclists just seem to half-heartedly hold their hand off the handlebars for a second to signal what they are doing, which is not easy to see.

Don't ride too fast on the busy MUP. You can't complain about traffic not respecting you on the road if you scorch close past peds at high speed on the path.

1. Learn how to handle your bicycle. Bike handling skills can save your rear end.

Also, it helps your confidence. There is no substitute for confidence and experience.

2. Be aware of your surroundings. Expect the unexpected. Situational awareness can save your rear end.

3. Don't get too cocky. Confidence may be your friend but arrogance is your enemy. If you think you know everything, you're riding for a fall.

4. Beware the advice of others, expecially self-proclaimed experts who think they know everything. As my father used to say, a lot of so-called experts know a lot of things that aren't so. (and I don't think he ever even heard of John Forester :D)

Planet Bike Superflash...Daytime visible superblinkies increase your visibility.wonderful device both day & night

Biggest safety gain I've found -- expands significantly my scope of awareness.

This is especially true for commuters -- I can't effectively engage traffic without my mirror.

what's more important pretty or safe?

Your bike won't look pretty when it's a tangled mess of metal. Cover the frame with long strips of 3m Scotchlight tape.

what's more important pretty or safe?

Your bike won't look pretty when it's a tangled mess of metal. Cover the frame with long strips of 3m Scotchlight tape.

Who ever said anything against your suggestion? Your two first sentences were needless attacks.

Scare tactic postings make anyone look like a :troll: jerk. Don't be one of them.

-Kurt

Biggest instant improvement in safety:

1) Leave the cellphone at home or safely tucked away in your seat bag or a pocket. Only take out in emergency. If I had my way, cycling cellphoners would have an emergency every time they used it if they came across me.

2) Also apply rule #1 to drivers.

Who ever said anything against your suggestion? Your two first sentences were needless attacks.

Scare tactic postings make anyone look like a :troll: jerk. Don't be one of them.

-Kurt

I answered the question with a rhetorical question. They weren't meant to scare, attack or criticize anyone. :) I was making a point that so many of us (myself included when it comes to my custom road bike) prioritize the finish and appearance of the bike rather than increasing its visibility.
Relax, bud...maybe switch to decaf. ;)

Good suggestions. I'll add if it hasn't been already

1) Always make yourself easily seen. - for example, don't sneak up the right side at a red light in the blindspot then go straight to make cars pass you again.

2) Always make yourself predictable while being seen.

3) Eye contact when possible

Simple trick for looking behind you, particularly if you're "in the drops". Rather than sitting up and turning your head to look behind you, "kiss your left shoulder".

You'll find that two useful things will happen:
You'll automatically counter the tendency to pull back on the left side of the bar, by pushing your shoulder forward. You'll be able to see past your shoulder just fine with your left eye, if not both eyes.
Sounds wierd, but it works...

buy a rearview mirror and learn to use it. Nothing else has helped me more to evaluate cars coming up behind me.

+1 for the mirror. I'd recommend take-a-look and try it for a week.

You wouldn't drive without one, yet many cyclists don't have one.

Simple trick for looking behind you, particularly if you're "in the drops". Rather than sitting up and turning your head to look behind you, "kiss your left shoulder".

That advice sure sounds stupid. But it sure does work, too.