Ride safe!

I need to stop shouting in my post titles.

Anyway, on my lunch, I stumbled across this very well written blog and this helpful bike safety website, thanks to this nice blog. Oh, and here's another spot... the Pennsylvania DOT's bicycle safety website. It has a game/quiz you can play! Since I'm usually subjected to at least one semi-near miss per day of someone pulling out in front of me, I thought these would be useful. They pretty much speak for themselves.

I will add this, though, from this morning's ride. There are several places along my ride where there is a fairly wide berm, shoulder, or car parking area, which abruptly disappears into an unrideable ditch or - worse - a bridge abutment. I'll try to get a photo of one and add it. Anyway, it is very tempting, especially if the lane itself is narrow, to use that extra room for all it's worth. The problem comes when you are forced to merge back into the lane while a car is passing.

The moral: Always be looking well ahead of your ride, anticipate such merge locations, and get to the LEFT of that white line well in advance. Take the lane and keep yourself safe. I find that car drivers don't seem to mind this nearly as much as having to react quickly to an emergency left-jerk (which is what they'll call you, if they're nice) or having to worry about running you into that ditch or abutment.

Oh, and another thing. Be careful of other cyclists as well. I caught up with another commuter on my way home a few days ago. We rode along and chatted for a short bit before coming to a "T" intersection. He had faded all the way to the right curb before stopping, so I rolled up beside him on his left. Unfortunately, I had not noticed that he was in the habit of doing this at every stop, even if he was turning left. We nearly collided when I turned right and he turned left. I should have stayed (somewhat) behind him to be safe, but he should have taken the left side of the lane if he was turning left. He could have been hit by a right-turning car just as easily.

That is all. Carry on. And be safe.