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BIKE SAFETY AIDS

This bibliography has been assembled and customized for this website by CABA member Rory Rhodes.

Safety Concerns

It’s O.K. to ride your bike . It is safer than you think.

The Facts :

  • Based on accidents per hour of driving, riding a bike is safer than driving a car.
  • Only one in ten bicycle accidents involve an automobile [Moritz 1998]
  • Most car-bike accidents are not because a bike was hit by a car, but because of errors by the bicycle rider.
  • You are the safest when you drive your bicycle as if it were a car .

 Follow the Rules of the Road

Contrary to popular belief, cycling in traffic is neither particularly difficult nor particularly dangerous. Traffic operates according to rational principles that are embodied in the traffic laws. Cyclists who operate in accordance with the rules for cars encounter fewer problems and have a lower accident rate. The Effective Cycling principle is: "Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles."

  • Drive your bike as if it were a car
  • Ride with traffic not facing it
  • Position yourself in the proper lane for turns and signal your intention
  • By law you have a right to ride in the middle of a lane, but
    best to do so sparingly and let cars go by
  • Be alert at intersections. This is where most car-bike accidents occur (80% of them)
  • Obey traffic signals and signs . Cars do and so should you. Make yourself seen!!
  • Wear bright colored clothing
  • Use lights at night
  • Wear reflective materials at night
  • Wear a helmet . Falls are the most common bicycle accident (over 50%) protect your head.

Sources of Information on Biking Safely

1. Bicycling Street Smarts - by John Allen, a national expert living in the Boston area. This pamphlet and website are a tutorial on driving a bicycle in mixed traffic. A user guide to biking on the roads.

2. Road Vogue - by Wayne Pein, a Chapel Hill cyclist who points out well know accident situations and show you how to react to them. He cites North Carolina law in his techniques.

3. Night Cycling - by Steven Goodridge of the North Carolina Bike Club. Proper equipment makes cyclists visible to other road users and can make cycling at night much safer than statistics suggest.

4. North Carolina Coalition for Bicycle Driving - A Triangle based grass-roots organization of people who believe that lawful, “vehicular-style” bicycle driving is the safest and most effective way to travel by bicycle.

5. Bicycle Driving - General information on Bicycle Driving from Bicycle Transportation Institute. This is an international organization with a strong representation in North Carolina .