How to avoid an accident.
There are volumes written on safe bicycling. Some safe bicycling practices that come to mind are:
- Be sure your bicycle is in condition to ride safely.
- Children under 14 or who lack sufficient maturity should not ride in traffic.
- Wear a helmet.
- Before taking to the roads, know the rules of the road as they apply to bicycles.
- Generally, ride the roads like a slow farm tractor (same direction as traffic, as far right as practicable, ride straight and predictably, signal your intentions with proper hand signals) Plus: wear conspicuous clothing; have good lights at night; do not wear earphones; wear eye protection; have a chain guard or clip to keep pant leg out of chain; don’t ride in sandals or barefoot).
- Be courteous to other road users and don’t flip off a bad driver. Aggravating motorists may lead to road rage and injury to you or another bIcyclist.
- If you are new to urban cycling, take a course to learn safe urban riding. The courses are available through Atlanta Bicycle Coalition (www.atlantabike.org) and are not expensive.
