Bike safety

Once again the media gets it wrong. If you haven't seen the news today, this morning a middle school student was hit by an SUV while he was riding to school. The collision occurred a little before 7:00AM while it was still dark out. The kid didn't have any lights or reflectors on his bike, and he was wearing dark clothing. And the main thing that at least one station focused on? That the kid wasn't wearing a helmet.

Now, I'm not saying that wearing a helmet isn't important. But a helmet is the last line of defence. Before the helmet would have come into play, there are many more things that a bicyclist can do to avoid a crash. In the League of American Bicyclists 'BikeEd' program we teach that there are 5 layers of safety:

1. Bike Control (Don't fall or collide with others)

   If you can skillfully control your bike, by starting, stopping, steering and shifting smoothly, you will seldom fall down all by yourself. (About half of cyclist crashes are single rider falls.) Keep your bike in good working order, too.

2. Follow Rules (Don't cause traffic accidents)

   Follow traffic laws, obey signs and signals, use correct lanes for turns/through movements, so you don't cause a collision. Mount lights & reflectors for nighttime cycling. (This reduces most cyclist caused traffic accidents.)

3. Lane Positioning (Discourage other driver's mistakes)

   Know when to use the full lane or when to share a lane with a motorist. Use your lane position to inform others where you are headed, and to discourage them from making hooks or other bad movements. (By using lane positioning and the first two layers, almost all potential collisions
   are avoided.)

4. Hazard Avoidance (Avoid other driver's mistakes)

   Use evasive maneuvers to avoid motorist mistakes (or dodge obstacles which suddenly appear). (Occasionally a motorist will make a big mistake, and there is no substitute for knowing both quick stops and instant turns to avoid severe injuries.)

5. Passive Safety (Protection when all else fails)

   Helmets, Gloves. This is last resort protection, and only useful after a collision or fall occurs, similar to how motorists use seat belts and air bags. (Passive safety devices do nothing to prevent collisions. Only the skills in the previous ranks do this.)

When you ride, wear a helmet. But more importantly, ride smart. Make it easy for motorists to see you. They can't take measures to avoid hitting you if they don't know that you are there.