Safety Tips for Cyclists and Motorists

• Safety Tips for Motorists
• Safety Tips for Cyclists

Safety Tips for Motorists

Always look for bikes - especially when turning and parking.

Driving:

• When passing, be sure to clear the cyclist before moving back into your lane.
• Cyclists who are not on the extreme right-hand side of the lane are not being careless, but
• are in fact attempting to avoid hazards that could cause a crash.

Parking:

• Always look for cyclists before pulling over to park
• Always look for cyclists before opening a car door.Motorists parking may not open a car door into traffic until it is safe to do so. Car doors hitting cyclists can cause serious crashes, for which the motorist is responsible.
• Never double park or park in a bike lane. It is unsafe and illegal.

Turning:

• Yield to bicyclists when turning.
• As with motor vehicle traffic, bicyclists going straight through an intersection have the right of way over turning vehicles.
• NEVER turn right after passing a cyclist – wait until s/he has merged behind you or completed the trip through the intersection. Overtaking, then making a right turn in front of cyclists is a cause of a significant number of car/bike crashes
• ALWAYS yield to cyclists before turning left. Drivers turning left in front of oncoming cyclists cause a large percentage of car/bicycle crashes.

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Safety Tips for Cyclists

Laws of the Road:

• Ride with traffic, not against it.
• Always use a light if you are riding between sunset and sunrise.
• Obey all traffic signs and signals

Position on the road:

• Be predictable. Do not weave in and out of traffic or parked cars.
• Ride at least three feet (3') away from parked cars and be alert for motorists or passengers opening car doors.
• Never pass a bus on the right. You could collide with a pedestrian or get squeezed against the curb.

Turning and stopping:

• Signal your intentions - use hand signals to indicate turns and stops.
• Be especially alert when going straight through an intersection -- look for motorists in all directions, merge behind a right-turning motorist when possible.
• Left turns: There are two possibilities:
  • Signal, move into the left lane, and turn left. OR
  • Ride straight to the far side of the intersection, then stop, turn left, and ride across. If you use the crosswalk, walk your bicycle across.
• A mirror is helpful, enabling you to be aware of traffic approaching from behind.