Statistics show that the majority of bicycle accidents occur when a cyclist falls off his or her bike or collides with another bike. There are about 85 million bike riders in the United States. Therefore, it is important to know and adopt proper riding procedures. Keep in mind that you should always operate a bike just like you would a vehicle. Police will issue tickets to careless cyclists. It is the cyclist’s responsibility to know and follow the rules of the road. If you violate traffic laws, you greatly increase your risk of a crash. To prevent injury, review and follow these rules for cycling.
| 1 | Wear an approved helmet and brightly colored clothing for maximum visibility in traffic. |
| 2 | Obey all traffic regulations, stop signs, stop signals, one-way streets, and traffic control signs. |
| 3 | Ride on the right side of the road. Ride with the traffic in a straight line and ride in single file. Your correct position on the road follows a sensible set of rules, the same as for a car driver: keep to the right if you’re going slowly but pull to the left to pass. |
| 4 | Never hitch a ride on other vehicles or carry other riders or packages which obstruct vision or interfere with proper control of the bicycle. |
| 5 | Always use hand signals to indicate turning or stopping. |
| 6 | Avoid riding at night if possible. However, if you do cycle at night, wear light or bright colored clothes and use lights and reflectors on your bike. Make yourself visible. |
| 7 | Cross railroad tracks at a 90 degree angle to avoid catching your bicycle wheel in the tracks. Watch for doors opening from parked cars, for drain grates, wet leaves, potholes, stones, glass, or other obstacles on the road. In addition, be sure to watch out for pedestrians. |
| 8 | Stay alert. Look out for cars pulling out into traffic or turning. Listen for traffic approaching out of your line of vision. Anticipate traffic conditions instead of just reacting to them. |
| 9 | When riding as part of a group, the rider at the front should call and signal road hazards such as holes, loose gravel, bumps, etc. |
| 10 | You should be familiar with traffic signs and markings, which may be found in a driver’s manual. Know the laws in your state. |
| 11 | Right Turns: make a right turn the same way a car does. Turn from the farthest right to the closest lane going right. |
| 12 | Left Turns: never attempt a left turn from the right side of the street. Follow the same procedure as an automobile driver. Turn from the closest left lane to the closest lane going left. |
| 13 | Avoid riding too fast for conditions. |
| 14 | Avoid parking bicycles in walkways, entryways, and near doors. Never leave your bicycle blocking a sidewalk. |
Rules to follow while riding on a trail
- Ride only where it is legal to do so.
- Always yield to hikers and horses.
- Don’t leave a trail to take a short cut.
- If there are too many puddles due to rain, don’t ride, or, if you must ride, ride through the edge of a puddle.
