Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Drive your bike

I found this link on a comment on Cycle*Dallas blog. In her comment, Keri provided a link to The Florida Bicycle Association's page called Drive Your Bike. The page is a quick and interesting read, but the part that is most useful is the section called "Understanding common crash types and how to prevent them"- you know, stuff like the Right Hook



and the Left Cross


Take a few minutes to read that page. I could save your life!

4 comments:

Steve A said...

I have a VERY PRACTICAL way you can see that the intersections are the real places of danger for you when you ride.

Simply count the number of "interactions" you have with motorists at various kinds of places. Someone passing you counts as one. Someone waiting for you at a stop sign counts as one. You waiting for someone at a stop sign counts as one. People driving the other way or a couple of lanes over don't count. Don't count any bunch of interactions at any intersection or stop as more than five (otherwise, you might lose count if you had to wait for dozens of cars at a stop sign!).

If you're like me, you'll find that the VAST majority of potential conflicts come when motorist & cyclist are going through intersections.

Try it. It's simple, and it is unquestionably relevant to YOUR riding environment. Then read Doohickie's post again...

Steve A said...

Counting's too hard? Hey, look at it this way, you get to make up the rules as you go along, and it makes the trip pass faster. Besides, if you lose count, it provides an excuse for another ride!

Dottie said...

Being aware of the right hook is so important for cyclists. I never, ever ride to the right of a car or truck near an intersection, unless they are stopped and I'm sure I'll get in front of them before the light changes (cars only - I don't play around with trucks). Great graphics explaining the danger.

RANTWICK said...

Hey, just found you guys via Chipseal... nice site! It's going on the list. I'm off to read stuff. Any friends for that Orlando site are friends of mine...

RANTWICK