Jay's tips for safe city cycling

In theory bike riders are subject to all the same rules of the road as cars.  But the fact is, bike riders regularly break rules of the road, just like cars regularly break the speed limit. They replace the blanket rule that is designed to insure that everyone is safe in all imaginable circumstances, with their own judgment for what is safe in a particular situation.  I've read that in some Scandanavian countries, people will wait on the sidewalk at a "Do Not Walk" sign, even at 3:00 in the morning when there isn't a car anywhere in sight.  The rule is a good one in general for staying safe, but it is clearly unnecessary under those circumstances.  In the United States, for better or worse, our culture tends to be a little more (take your pick of term) individualistic/freewheeling/lawless.

As someone who commutes to work in downtown Washington DC, I of course follow every rule, law, regulation, guideline, and moral precept unvaryingly and to the letter.  But even so there are always risks, and I see a lot of traffic and a lot of bikers, few of whom stop fully at every stop sign and dismount at every "dismount" sign.  These are the mental rules I have developed (in some cases extrapolated from mistakes I've caught myself making in times far past).  There's lots of bike safety lists out there with rules that experienced cyclists will know ("make eye contact with drivers" etc) -- this is addressed more to the psychological dimension.

• Expect to run into yourself. When you ride, don't just look for cars, but also ask yourself, "If I were to encounter another cyclist behaving exactly like me right now, would I be safe?" (Not a bad rule when driving either -- actually many of these apply to cars.)
• Think statistically. When crossing a certain intersection or dangerous spot, ask yourself, "If I were to repeat this maneuver every day for the next 20 years, am I likely to have a single accident in that time?"  If you're not confident you can get away with it day in and day out, better back off. 
• Don't get your heart set. Sometimes when I need to merge into a certain road or what have you, there's a big gap in the traffic and I need hardly slow down.  But then, the next day, I look hopefully for the same conditions. The danger comes with the burst of pleasure people get from winning this traffic "roulette." In many ways it has the same dangerous psychological structure as gambling -- intermittent, unpredictable positive reinforcement -- and as a result can have the same addictive quality.  Then, when you encounter a marginal case, you run into trouble.  As you approach an intersection, perhaps, it looks like you're going sail through again.  Cool!  But then you see some cars.  But you can't let go of the dream, so that part of your brain that wants to sail through becomes willful and overpowers the other parts of your brain (like the parts that want to see your children graduate high school).
• Overrule the lazy part of your brain. When you're biking it takes work to build up speed. And so you're naturally loathe to apply your brakes.  So the lazy part of your brain is going to try to goad you into taking risks so you don't lose your momentum and then have to pedal back up again.  You need to be conscious of this dynamic and make sure you don't take risks out of laziness.
  
• Note danger spots. Since I bike the same route often, I make note of what I think of as certain "danger spots."  I don't mean places of obvious danger, like a busy highway that needs to be crossed -- I'm talking about places where I have to constantly remind myself to be vigilant, because they are quiet and hardly ever have any cars.  People sometimes get in the habit of sailing through such spots, unconsciously forgetting about the danger.  But it is that one day, once in a blue moon, when some crazy driver shows up at just the wrong moment that it could all end for you. 
• Light yourself up like a Christmas tree.  If you ride at night at all, or dusk or dawn or even dark cloudy days, why not maximize your chances of survival?  Today's LEDs are cheap, bright, and can be bought to attach to virtually any part of your body and bike.  For same reason, I try to wear the brightest clothing possible (someone told me they were in the Bay Area recently and it seemed to be hip to cycle in all black -- all I can say is: wow).  Also buy everything possible in red or bright yellow (helmet, bike tire, frame, etc). BUT -- once you're lit up, don't get all confident because of it; assume you are still invisible to the cars because to some idiot who could kill you, you will be.
  

To put this in perspective, here are some government statistics I found recently:

• 776 cyclists killed in U.S. in 2006 = approx 2 a day (versus 116 per day in cars -- a helluva lot more people die in cars, but Americans probably spend far more time in cars, so hour-by-hour, biking may be as or more dangerous)
• 36,000 cyclists injured in 2006
• In 1996 average age of a cycling fatality was 31, now it’s 41. (Perhaps a reflection of more adults using their bikes more, which would be a good thing.)
• In 2006, 7 of the cycling fatalities were over 85 years of age.  What a great way to go!

Stay safe out there!

 

Update:  How not to ride your bike, a hypnotic YouTube video.

Comments

[Turvene]

Good post, one every biker should read.