Practice Safe Cycling!

We were all kids once. Many of us rode our bikes with friends to school, around the neighborhood and into town to scope out the local candy shop. Maybe you wore a helmet, maybe not, depending on the decade and city laws. Today, it’s not only important for riders to understand bicycle safety for their own sake, but for the benefit of pedestrians and motorists as well. Why? Because when bicycle safety in Boca Raton, FL is not taken seriously, people can get hurt—or worse.

With that in mind, here’s a list of bike safety tips to help you protect yourself while riding:

• Wear a helmet: First and foremost, always wear a bicycle helmet and other safety gear when you’re out riding. Wear one even if you’re an adult and the city you live in doesn’t have a helmet law in place for people over the age of 18. When buying a new bike helmet, be sure it fits snugly on your head. The chin strap should be secure, yet comfortable. Check for a sticker indicating that it meets the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards.
• Maintain your bicycle: Your bicycle needs tune-ups periodically, just like your car. A professional inspection and tune-up ensures a safe ride every time, which is especially important for people whose bikes are their main form of transportation around town. Think about the terrain and riding surface conditions you encounter daily. Dirt, dust, mud, potholes, curbs and hills can take a toll on bicycle components over time.
• Stay visible: If motorists can’t see you, they can’t avoid you. It’s for this reason you must make yourself and your bicycle visible to drivers at all times. This is as easy as installing a light on the front of your bike, attaching a light to your helmet, adding reflective waterproof tape to the frame and/or wearing clothing or accessories made of reflective materials. Check reflective gear often for malfunctions and damage.
• Indicate your intended actions: Cars have turn signals and brake lights to communicate drivers’ intentions when driving down the road, but bicycles don’t have these functions. If riders don’t take it upon themselves to indicate that they’re stopping or which way they are turning, accidents can happen. All riders should know hand signals and use them to communicate with drivers, pedestrians and other riders. Also, you can install a set of brake lights made for bicycles, which is excellent for night riding and rainy weather. Check with your local bike shop for options.
• Announce your presence: Screaming “on your left” as you sail down the walking path is not ideal. Your loud voice can scare the people around you, even startle someone so much that they jump or move in your direction. Also, whether you mean to or not, your tone may seem rude to others on the path. Try using a bicycle bell instead.

The team at Bicycle Doctor House Calls knows the importance of bicycle safety in Boca Raton, FL. We’ll come to you for bicycle tune-ups, bike repairs and more!

Categorised in: Bike Safety

This post was written by Writer