CYCLING SAFELY
When I speak with beginning cyclists about getting out and riding on the road, one of the first questions I hear is, "Is it safe?" Many people have a fear of riding anywhere near moving traffic and prefer to ride only on bike paths. I think that the answer to that question is to ask one or two of my own. "Is driving safe?" "Is walking safe?"
Safety on a bicycle, much like safety anywhere else, depends greatly on you. Being sure that your bicycle is in good working order, that you are knowledgeable about, and even more important, complying with the "laws" of vehicular cycling go a long way to ensuring your safety on a bike. Quite often, I hear someone say, "I'm doing my bit for safety, I'm wearing my helmet." Well, the helmet is the "last resort" when it comes to your safety. Keeping yourself out of danger to the best of your ability is your first, and best, protection.
Accidents do happen, of course. And accidents with cars do happen as well. But they are less prevalent than you might think Consider the chart below:
Accidents involving cars and bicycles account for approximately 17% of all cycling accidents. As you can see, falls are the most common accident. Of the 17% of accidents that do involve cars:
Note that the infamous "fear from the rear", the fear of being hit from behind by a car, falls into the "other" 5% within the 17% of accidents involving cars. Also note that even in the car-bike accident categories, a surprising number of the accident causes are the fault of the cyclist.
All of this points to the importance of knowing what you are doing when cycling on our streets and roads, leading back to cycling education once again.