Safety BloggingHere's an article about a
guy getting ticketed for riding a bicycle on the sidewalk.
Yesterday, Mr. Surprise, who is 22, pleaded not guilty to the charge in Toledo Municipal Court. He said he plans to fight the citation on the grounds that the city law discriminates against adult bicyclists.
He said he was riding on the sidewalk that day because it is safer than riding in traffic on Alexis or on some other busy roads.The irony here is that the guy got hit by a car while riding on the sidewalk. I wonder how many times he's been hit by a car while riding in the road?
This is something that a lot of people don't understand. Riding on the sidewalk is very dangerous for bicyclists, even though it gives them a false sense of security. Why? Because nobody stops their car at the sidewalk to check for oncoming traffic; they stop at the curb.
Another big mistake is riding against the traffic. Again, it gives the rider a false sense of security: I can see everybody coming at me. The problem comes when somebody is pulling out of a side street or a driveway and turning right. When you're turning your car right, which way do you look? You look left. Nobody bothers looking right because nothing's supposed to be there.
See the problem? Unless the bicyclist is going slowly, he's going to plow into the side of the car. Many cyclists assume that the car will stop for them and speed up in this situation, potentially turning it into disaster.
Riding with the traffic is much safer, because when somebody's pulling out of a side street, they always have to look left and will see you, no matter which direction they're turning.
Very few people would allow their kids to ride a bike without a helmet these days. How many teach them not to ride on the sidewalk or against the traffic?
