[DrkAngel]

Once again, I would like to note that my "Math of Speed" is specifically to address the issue of the danger that I have no control over. Vehicles passing me.

See the discussion here:
http://www.twospoke.com/forum/f30/bicycle-safety-math-speed-3675/

Any other factor can have the danger reduced, or eliminated, by the application of method or equipment.

Bike:

#1 Make sure bike is in good condition. Before any ride, check tires, wheels, spokes, cables, lights, and especially, brakes. (Keep spare brake pads on hand, if your brakes seem inadequate, adjust brakes, then clean wheels & pads with alcohol, need better? Change your pads, and compare.)

#2 Armor your bike! Greatly reduce road hazard danger. Kevlar tires & slime tubes give you the confidence to run over many items, (rather than rapid redirection, near heavy traffic.) It's surprising how how much junk you can run into, tailpipes, bolts, broken glass etc.

#3 Plan your ride! Very often you can greatly reduce danger by taking less trafficked streets and by timing for non-high traffic time slots!

Visibility:

Be seen!

#1 Just found a better headlight than that which I previously recommended. 260 Lumens, low, high & Strobe mode, it zooms from wide, (notice me), to spot, (see road better), with the bonus of red ring for notice by side observers. $13 ... shipped!

CREE Q5 Style New Version 260 lumen Ultra Bright USPS!! - eBay (item 170419963648 end time Apr-12-10 17:43:44 PDT)


#2 Tail, turn signal & brake light.
Good idea to let people know your intentions, and you can keep both hands on the bars. (Some people think it cute when a biker "waves" to them.) Less than $10 ... shipping included!

DealExtreme: $8.65 9-LED Turning Signal Lights with Electronic Horn for Bicycles (2*AA)


#3 It might seem overkill, ... I taped an air horn to my steering column, ... nice red "panic button"!

Personal Gear:

#1 Helmet. I resisted it for a long time. Finally, ... after I, "made it my idea", instead of listening to everyone telling me to wear one, I designed my own helmet, by adding rear 5 led flashy thing, rear view mirror, made from "inspection mirror" and additional headlight (260 lumen, capable of low, high, strobe!) Being capable of directing a strobe directly at menacing vehicles is a real attention getter!

#2 Leather (padded) riding gloves. Not only do they look stylish and make rides more comfortable, but they give you some better contact points, in case of a road rashing.

No! ... I do not rely on speed as my only safety measure!

Speed is merely one of the tools that help reduce the risk.

EZip Engineering 101

[ackra]

Last year I lost a friend to a horrible bicycling accident when he was killed.
Had he signaled properly this accident may never have occurred.

Why turning signals are not a requirement for all bikes, I'll never understand.
I purchased mine at safetybikesignals.com.

[DrkAngel]

A link to a really nice site with stats on accidents & how to avoid them!

Bicycle Safety: How to Not Get Hit by Cars

EZip Engineering 101

[sarahk]

Originally Posted by DrkAngel

#3 It might seem overkill, ... I taped an air horn to my steering column, ... nice red "panic button"!

We were chatting this morning about how we need a horn when riding through the CBD!

Add to your weight much?

[DrkAngel]

Originally Posted by sarahk

We were chatting this morning about how we need a horn when riding through the CBD!

Add to your weight much?

Local "Dollar Store" had $1, canned air, horns, very loud! I decided to tape one to my steering column, nice to have a panic button. Weight is near 4 ounces.

Would like to position for hands on brake access, will have to think, and try, for better positioning.

EZip Engineering 101

[DrkAngel]

The vast majority of bicycle vs vehicle accidents are due the biker not being seen. Most of the remainder are due to improper, or unsafe riding practices or locations.

Veteran bikers, even though they travel the most road miles, suffer a much lower percentage of accidents, when compared to the novice.

EZip Engineering 101

[Industry_Hack]

Originally Posted by sarahk

We were chatting this morning about how we need a horn when riding through the CBD!

Add to your weight much?

Try driving a Kea camper through Parnell during lunch.

[DrkAngel]

I've been doing a lot of hunting for the statistics on types of bicycle vs vehicle accidents. Most striking was that near to 70% were due to improper riding, or equipment!

#1 Highest percentage of accidents were due to riding at night, or dusk, without lights.

#2 Next, most dangerous, was riding on the wrong side of the road. Riding against traffic might seem safer, to the novice biker, but accounted for a high percentage of accidents, as well as a very high percentage of deaths.

#3 Intersections! Definitely very high accident area. Surprisingly, a very large percentage were due to bicyclists using crosswalks! ... ???

#4 Sidewalks ... they might seem the safe place to ride, but most reports, specifically, rate sidewalks as more dangerous than streets. When coupled with crosswalks and driveway exits, sidewalks accounted for more than 50% of all bike accidents.

Yes, I realize that "highest percentage" was awarded to "no lights" as well as "sidewalks", however "no lights" is actually a contributory factor to any "type" of accident, not a "type", in itself.

Lesson learned?

#1 Train the new rider, avoid sidewalks, ride "with traffic", not against it.

#2 Be seen! Headlights & taillights at night. Highly recommend "strobe" headlight during day with flashing taillight, also.

EZip Engineering 101

[SUX VR40 Rider]

Originally Posted by ackra

Last year I lost a friend to a horrible bicycling accident when he was killed.
Had he signaled properly this accident may never have occurred.

Why turning signals are not a requirement for all bikes, I'll never understand.
I purchased mine at safetybikesignals.com.

I am sorry you lost your friend. But not all bikes may be able to have signals moutned to them. Recumbents or tandems for example. It would require special mounting and longer wiring.

Here is a better idea. Make using hand signals a requirement for cyclists. Oh, wait, it already is in most if not all states. It falls under cyclists obeying the same traffic laws as motorists. Which include signalling turns and lane changes. I am sure you have the same or similar law in your state.

Had your friend, and again I am sorry he was killed, signalled, you admitted he did not, he may be alive today. How do you know he would have used the same type of signal you purchased. Just because he would have had a device like that he still may not have used it, still would have had a collision with a motor vehicle and still would have lsot his life. A piece fo safety equipment will not protect you from anything, especially if you do not use it.

You also need to consider the fact that even if he had signalled he still would have been hit and killed. So just because you do signal, whether with your hand or an $90 piece of equipment does not mean some motorist will not hit you. And no, it does not even lessen the chances of a motorist hitting you.

Once again I am sorry your friend lost his life. No one deserves that. But my advice to you at this point is grieve as you will naturally do, there is nothing wrong with that and move on with your life. If you are planning on trying to make mandatory turn signals like the one you use you may want to rethink that.

[SUX VR40 Rider]

If you want a really good refillable air horn, try this one: Hostel Shoppe Recumbents - the world's largest source for recumbent information, bicycles, trikes and accessories. With the volume turned all the way up it is 115db. Get's teh attention of motorists, even with the windows up, very effectivley. Mine has saved my bacon more than once.