It is hard to resist being outdoors in the summer months since cycling is a multipurpose way to commute and exercise in drier times of the year. The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration say there is about 50 thousand injuries a year. So we would like to go over a few safety tips and hopefully keep you from becoming a statistic. So let dive into it!
It is a good thing to go over your bike and check your tires, brakes cables, brake pads or disk, reflectors, gears, ect. If you don't feel qualified then you need to take it to a shop and let them do it for you. It's important that your bike is in good working order before riding.
if you ride at night like I do, you will also need to make sure your lights on your bicycle is working properly. In North America it is the law in most places. Even if you ride during the day it's a good idea to have lights and have them on. It allows people to see you better and sooner. Not sure that everyone is aware of this item but they have turn signal lights for bikes also. This is a real safety need if you ride in traffic much. But at the very least if you don't have turn signal light on your bicycle use hand signals. Alerting people of your intentions.
The next thing to check is your helmet and clothing. Your clothing should be colorful and bright so the people in the cars can see you well before reaching you. Also the clothing should be cool and comfortable. You should always have a helmet on while riding too. So check your helmet to make sure it is in good condition. Your helmet could save your life in the event of a crash.
When riding you need to ride with the traffic. I know it may be tempting to ride against traffic so you can see what is coming at you. However a bicycle is transportation-a means of getting from point A to B. So it is considered a vehicle meaning we have to obey traffic laws. So respect other faster and bigger vehicles and ride to the far right side of road.
If your riding on a trail, sidewalk, bicycle lane, ect. and you come up behind someone you need to alert them that your about to pass on the left by your horn or verbally "passing on the left.".
Texting and bicycling is a real no-no. It distracts your attention away from what your doing, cycling. Keep your eyes on the road at all time. Your surroundings are constantly changing. So be aware!
Riding double on a single seat. This is also a no-no. First it is unsafe. Pure and simple. Not to mention the balance issue. Just don't do it.
Drinking (alcohol) and riding. Drinking and driving is wrong and against the law so is riding and drinking. It's very dangerous and you could wind up in jail or worse dead. So if your going to drink don't ride. Remember must follow the laws.
So now that we went over some safety tips hopefully you will have a safe and fun summer riding. Remember safety first!