Safety Tips to Avoid Bicycle Accidents

In a study conducted by the federal government, nearly 700 people died from bicycle-related accidents last year, and more than 90 percent of fatalities involved motor vehicles. In addition, about 540,000 bike riders were injured and brought to emergency rooms during the same year.

To prevent accidents and injuries, these are some of the safety tips in riding a bicycle:

1. The bike should be the appropriate size for the rider.
2. Always wear a bicycle helmet which must be federally-approved. According to a study, riders without helmets are 14 times more likely to suffer from fatal head injuries compared to those who are wearing head protection.
3. Riders should follow the same traffic laws just like an average motorist. They should stop at red lights; should not use the walkway; and ride with the traffic flow.
4. Choose residential areas rather than congested highways and streets when riding a bike.
5. To make themselves visible to other motorists especially during night, riders should wear bright clothing. Their bicycles should also have reflectors that will allow other road users to see them.
6. Before riding a bike, people should check if the brakes and reflectors are working properly.
7. Riders should maintain a safe distance to parked cars to prevent being hit by doors which may open.
8. When crossing a pedestrian lane, riders should get off their bikes. In case of an accident involving a car, the driver is generally held liable for injuries a rider has sustained if the latter get off from his bike.
9. When riding a bike, people should not listen to portable music players which may prevent them to hear their surroundings. According to traffic safety experts, bicycle riders, just like any motorists, should have 100 percent of their focus on the road.
10. Respect the right of way of pedestrians.
11. Riders should base their speed on the road condition and volume of traffic.
12. Make sure to use the proper hand signals when stopping, turning, or changing lanes.
13. Be extra careful when crossing intersections.
14. Riders should use the whole lane—not the edge of a street—to make themselves visible and predictable to other motorists.
15. Riders should be extra careful when there is a passing truck or bus which has larger blind spot (rear area of a vehicle where drivers cannot see any object from their side mirrors) than a passenger car.