bikeseattle.org

Continuing on with the safety meme, here are a couple of additional resources.

Wearing a helmet will do absolutely nothing to prevent you from getting hit by a car! Sure, helmets might help you if you get hit, and it’s a good idea to wear one, but your #1 goal should be to avoid getting hit in the first place. Plenty of cyclists are killed by cars even though they were wearing helmets. Ironically, if they had ridden without helmets, yet followed the guidelines listed below, they might still be alive today. Don’t confuse wearing a helmet with biking safely. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It’s better to not get hit. That’s what real bicycle safety is about.

Bicycle Safety:How to Not Get Hit by Cars

Here’s the overview from bicyclesafe:

• The Right Cross
• The Door prize
• Red light of death
• The right hook (pt1 and pt2)
• The left cross
• The rear end (pt1 and pt2)
• The crosswalk slam
• The wrongway wallop

There is also the Bicycling street smarts site. This is a very good read, which will give the beginner a place to learn, and the seasoned rider a refresher. The manual focuses on safe bicycling techniques out on the road.

Many cyclists believe they are safer and more comfortable riding further to the right than this booklet recommends. They fear being passed uncomfortably close by a motorist, or feel intimidated by impatient drivers. Riding too far to the right is very dangerous for several reasons. It puts the cyclist in the danger zone of poor sightlines and opening car doors; it gives motorists an opportunity or even invitation to attempt a close pass; and it takes away the cyclist’s escape route to the right in the event of the unexpected. The correct lane positions described in this booklet are the safest and most efficient. Do not be intimidated. Take responsibility for your own safety, even if other traffic must occasionally slow and follow you.

Content overview:

• Off to a Good Start
• Where to Ride on the Road
• Riding Through Intersections
• Getting Across Non-standard Intersections
• Steer Out of Trouble
• Using Your Brakes
• Riding in Groups
• Riding in Rain and Darkness
• Ways to deal with Tough Situations