Bike Safety - Commuting in the City

Biking is a lot of fun. It's a great way to socialize, exercise and just enjoy being outdoors. But, biking in the city with traffic can be quite stressful if you're new to it or if it's been a while since you've been out in it. This is good. If you're stressed out about riding along with traffic this usually means your senses are heightened and you are more aware than you would be otherwise. However, you can still ride with traffic and be well aware of potential risks that may lie ahead as well as enjoy the ride. When I first started commuting via bike to work, I was a nervous wreck. Those who know me are probably laughing right now, because they know what I'm talking about.

On my first few rides to work and back home it didn't take long for me to recognize situations that pose greater risks than others. Now, I'm not going to list them all here, that'd be reinventing the wheel. There are tons of sites out there where people outline the top ten bike commuting safety tips, how to avoid bike accidents tips, and you name it. My personal favorite is the site titled "Bicycle Safety: How to Not Get Hit by Cars. This particular article is good because the author actually took the steps to draw out diagrams of where to be and where not to be relative to other cars. This is important because it's one of the primary factors that helped me avoid two potentially dangerous accidents throughout the last couple of weeks.

One of the biggest points I'd like to highlight in this post is that you should never allow yourself to be beside a car when approaching an intersection. See collision type #3 and #4 in the link I've provided. All the points listed are equally important, especially the point about staying clear of the path of opening car doors from cars that are parked on the side of the road. Uber dangerous... I'd also like to mention again that you should get in the habit of riding with a helmet on. I see a lot of people riding around the city with no helmet on and that's just not smart. Even if you're just going a couple blocks down the street, you're still at risk. Don't worry about the cool factor. There's nothing cool about getting a concussion or worse because you didn't want to wear a helmet.

So, if you plan on riding your bike to work or simply ride your bike in the city, take a look through the link I've provided before you do. You'll be glad you did.

Also, ride in SINGLE FILE when you're riding with a group on a busy street.