Bicycle Safety for Motorists

Your mom always told you to be careful when you took your shiny new bike out for its first ride, right? Wear your helmet, watch out for cars, etc.

Sharing the road cars does have its dangers, but a study out of the University of Toronto shows that less than 10% of car vs. bike accidents are caused by cyclists. From what I can tell, most of this boils down to drivers not being aware of cyclists around them.

So, drivers buckle up and watch out cyclists. And cyclists, here are some tips from our friends north of the border:

1. Know and follow the rules of the road. Always.


2. Consider taking a course to learn how to share the road as safely as possible with other vehicles. CAN-BIKE courses are offered through the City of Toronto.


3. Find a balance between being a careful rider and being confident enough to claim adequate space on the road within lanes of traffic and around parked cars.


4. Remember that motorists will not necessarily understand what the needs of a cyclist are—so educate yourself. There’s a difference between being assertive and aggressive. Self-preservation should be your primary motivation.


5. If you’re planning to become a regular cycling commuter, there will inevitably be times when you may need to ride in the dark or in the rain, so invest in some lights and some reflective clothing and also buy yourself some good quality rain gear. I ride my bike almost all year round and what I’ve come to realize is that there’s really no such thing as bad weather; there are only bad clothing choices!

(via TreeHugger)