15 Bike Safety Tips that will Save Your Life

August 6th, 2010 Posted by Jessica. Published under How to.... 4 Comments.

I’ve heard it a thousand times: “It’s okay if I ride through red lights/don’t wear a helmet/blast my iPod/dart through traffic!  I haven’t gotten hit by a car, yet!”  Exactly.  Yet.  All it takes is one car and you could be dead.  I don’t want to freak anyone out, but if you’re unaware of the actual dangers of riding a bike, you really shouldn’t be riding a bike.  However, there’s a lot you can do to significantly reduce your chances of getting hit by a car.  If I’ve left anything out, feel free to add or correct me!

1. Wear a freaking helmet!
2. Same road, same rules.  This means you stop at red lights until they turn green, stop at stop signs, ride with the flow of traffic, and yield to pedestrians crossing the street.
3. Don’t ride on the sidewalk.  If you feel unsafe on the road, get off your bike and walk it on the sidewalk. Riding on the sidewalk prevents cars from noticing you when you’re crossing intersections because they just aren’t expecting a bike on the sidewalk.
   

   Common bike signals

4. Don’t ride through crosswalks.  Same reason as above.
5. Use hand signals when you’re going to turn left or right.
6. Make eye contact with the driver behind you when you’re stopped at a red light to make sure he/she sees you.
7. When you’re stopped at a red light, take up the whole lane and stay in the center of the lane until you’re finished going through the green light.  This prevents hasty cars from trying to drive around you while they’re turning right.  An illustration can be found here.
8. If the road is too narrow for a car to safely pass you, take up the whole lane.  You’re legally allowed to do that.
9. If a car is inching behind you afraid to pass, but there actually is enough room for a car to go by, wave to the driver to pass you.
10. Be predictable.  Don’t dart in and out of traffic.
11. Don’t listen to music on headphones while you’re riding.  It’s distracting and it really does make you less aware of what’s around you.  If you have to listen to music on your commute, take the bus.
12. Wear blinky lights/reflective stuff at night.  If you ride a dark-colored bicycle, buy some cheap reflective tape to put on your bike.  It can really make a big difference in your visibility.
13. Get a helmet mirror!  Check out my glowing review of the Take-A-Look Mirror here!
14. Bike at least two feet to the left of parked cars to avoid getting “doored”.  I’ve seen it happen– it doesn’t look pretty.
15. Keep a safe distance between yourself and other bicyclists in case someone stops suddenly.  I haven’t gotten hit by a bike before, but I imagine it hurts.

Despite all this, I’m living proof that you can do all of this stuff and be an all-around model citizen and STILL get hit by a car.  A bad, unobservant driver is a bad, unobservant driver– period.  The health benefits of riding a bike every day are still worth the risk, though.  And the more people who trade in their cars for bikes, the safer our roads will be.  For more tips on how not to get hit by a car, check out this great post from bicyclesafe.com.

P.S.: The video page has been updated!  Check it out!