Safe Riding

Safe Riding - it’s part of our mission. Thousands of bicyclists are injured or killed on the road every year. We want all our members to be the safest they can be and this page is here for that purpose.

It’s time to light up!

No! This does not mean we all need to start smoking! I believe the message needs to be heard. On Tuesday’s ride, I was caught out after dark and, while I had my rear “blinky” light, I certainly could have used a headlight. I got this article from Johnson County Bike Club in KC . Mia

Be Seen

In case anyone hasn’t noticed, the days are getting shorter. Evening group rides are now finishing after dark, and other solo riders face increased likelihood of being caught out after dark. It’s time to get out the bike lights, or perhaps invest in your first set, or an upgrade. Bike lights serve two purposes: to make the rider visible to motorists, and to illuminate the path of the rider. While most lights designed for cycling provide adequate visibility, not all headlamps are powerful enough to light the road ahead. Visibility to other users of the road is absolutely essential to safe riding in low light or dark conditions. Just because you can see where you are going at dawn or dusk, or on lit streets, doesn’t mean that drivers can see you from a safe distance. The earlier a driver sees a cyclist, the better the chances of safely avoiding an accident. The cheapest and most basic lighting systems can alert drivers to the presence of a cyclist from a significant distance. These little LED blinky lights are widely available at bike shops. Many of them can run 100 hours or more on a set of batteries. The headlights are generally mounted to the handlebar. The tail lights are mounted to the seat post, a seat stay, the helmet, or clipped to the rider’s clothing. They are compact and light-weight. A pair of these lights can be had for less than $30. The tail light is probably the most important light of all for cyclists riding in traffic: it allows you to be seen from behind. If I had no other light, I would want a good tail light. Be sure and mount it where it can be easily seen. Clipping it to a jersey pocket may result in it pointing in an ineffective angle. I have seen cyclists place them inside a jersey pocket, where they are somewhat visible through the fabric. While convenient, this is not very effective. If in doubt, ask someone to check your visibility from a block away. When choosing a tail light, consider where you want to mount it and the type of battery it requires. Not all lights can be mounted in all positions. Many take AA or AAA batteries, but some take other types, which can be more expensive and harder to find. A head light is also very important for visibility purposes. Drivers will pull out in front of you or make left turns across your path if they can’t see you coming. The inexpensive LED lights have gotten better in the last few years, and are brighter than ever. However, most of them are still inadequate for actually lighting the road ahead of you. Even though I have a powerful lighting system, there are times when I prefer to use the light-weight and convenient LED’s. If visibility is my primary concern, if I’m doing a short ride on lit streets, if I’m carrying a light just in case I don’t make it home before dark, the LED’s are the way to go.

According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, from 1996 to 2002 there were 78,724 bicycle injuries in Missouri alone, constituting nearly 12% of all roadway injuries Dr. Greg Luttrell, P.E., Assistant Professor Civil Engineering at Southern Illinois University (a renowned traffic engineer and avid cyclist) is currently working to research in this area of bicycle injuries. Luttrell has found that about 10% of bicycle crashes are with a motor vehicle and the other 90% are “bike only.” So it's more than just watching out for cars.

Here are some good links about safe riding from the Missouri Bicycle Federation...
Mobikefeds bicycle safety page
Safe and Courteous Group Riding (.pdf file)

Add a favorite of mine:
bicyclesafe.com