Bike Safety Facts

Bike Safety 101

With all of the attention paid to hit-and-run accidents involving bike riders, people still seem to pay remarkably little attention to matters of basic bike safety. If you ride a bike, bicycle safety is one of the most important things that you could ever learn. There are no shortage of bike safety education classes, but you still see many bike riders who do some of the most outrageous, irresponsible things. They discard the rules of biker safety at every turn. They ride through intersections without stopping, counting on cross traffic to stop for them. They pay no attention to bike helmet safety ratings, buying substandard helmets because they look good or because they are inexpensive. The list goes on and on, and it is the bikers themselves who pay the price.

The problem has gotten so bad, in fact, that there are many lawyers who make their whole living as bicycle injury attorneys. One of my friends does this, so he is an expert on bike safety. He told me that even though bikers are often the victims of reckless driving by cars, when they're seriously injured it is more often than not at least partly their faults. Either they will not be wearing a helmet, will have ignored certain road regulations, or will be biking at night without sufficient reflective tape or lights. Somehow, despite the fact that they are in the middle-of-the-road on a small, flimsy frame, they think that safe biking is irrelevant. They assume that they are invincible until fate proves otherwise.

Take bike safety for kids classes

The funny thing is that the same adults who pay so little attention to bike riding safety make sure that their kids obey all the laws. They make them take bikesafety for kids classes, quiz them on what they learned, and even get them safety coloring books to help them remember the rules. Although it is good to see these adults taking care of their kids and making sure that they are safe, it is a shame that they will not do the same for themselves. No kid, after all, wants to have a parent seriously injured or killed. Bike safety is not just something for kids – it is something for everyone. Bicycles are vehicles too, and they are responsible for following all traffic rules. Bike safety isn't just something that adults should do, but a matter of their legal and moral responsibility.

When you take your bike think safety, bike safety.