Safety

I am always very careful to stay out of the cyclist vs driver debate. As a cyclist you can probably guess where I stand on the issue, but I am also realistic and I know that issues like this are never black and white and it is never as simple as good vs bad. Usually with issues like this both sides of the discussion are guilty of some transgressions.

I have to admit though sometimes cyclists don't do themselves any favours. I often shake my head at some of the things I see cyclists do which are just plain endangering themselves. Based on this I thought I would do a list of some of the more important behaviours I think cyclists can think of to keep themselves safe out there (particularly at the moment in Perth with it being so dark in the mornings).

Behaviour number 1, and the one I saw this morning that prompted this post, is being smart with the where you choose to ride. Now, obviously it isn't always possible to ride in complete safety, sometimes your route will include a busy road or two and it may be unavoidable. But if you have the choice between riding on a busy highway in peak hour and on a fairly quiet cycleway, hopefully the choice is pretty obvious. If a quiet cycleway isn't available, there are often less busy roads that can be used other than the main arteries, which keeps you away from the bulk of the traffic. Sometimes it can hard to know just where to ride, particularity if you are new to town or to cycling, but luckily a quick Google can usually give you an idea, for example in Perth we have this great website that summaries all teh cycling paths etc (Perth Bike Maps). Failing that go to a tri club or a friendly local bike shop and just ask.

Behaviour number 2. For goodness sake use lights in the dark. I think most cyclists over-estimate how visible they are in the dark. However, when you are out riding next have a look at another cyclist how isn't using lights. On a dark morning they can be darn near invisible. If you combine invisibility with a possibly tired driver and 50km/h and you have a recipe for disaster. These days lights are pretty cheap, rechargeable and very, very good, there is really no excuse. I actually advocate using lights even if in the daylight (anything to increase visibility is a good idea), but definitely in the dark. Plus, you know, it is the law.

Behaviour 3. Wear some brighter colours. Now I will admit I am guilty of this one too, most of my cycling kit is dark coloured and most cyclists think that darker colours look cooler. However, studies have shown that brighter block colours are more visible, sometimes significantly so (depending on the colour). As above, anything you can do to be more visible is a good thing.

Behaviour 4 (and the final one for tonight). Please, please, please obey the road rules. Stop when the light is red, or it is a stop sign, signal your intents on corners etc, give way when you are supposed to. Basically, do all the things that you would do if you were a car. Nothing annoys drivers more than seeing cyclists flaunt the laws of the road. And nothing endangers cyclists more than angry drivers (possibly other than distracted drivers). Besides the anger element, if you aren't following the rules of the road, then your behaviour is going to be hard to predict. If a driver can't predict your behaviour you are just making it more likely that you and they will meet in the wrong place at the wrong time. Be predictable, behave how vehicles should and it makes it that little bit easier for the vehicles around you.

That is it for tonight I think. In the end there is nothing you can do to guarantee safety, accidents are always possible, even if you are nowhere near a car. However, there are some things we should all be doing to try and reduce our chance of accident as much as possible, it is kind of silly to not do them.