Safety Rules to Follow when Bicycling

  • Always wear your helmet.  Head injuries are involved in 70 to 80 percent of all bicycling accidents.  For an informative flyer on how to correctly purchase and wear a child's helmet, click below
  • Ride in proper roadway position.  Always ride on the right with the flow of traffic.
  • Be predictable.  Ride in a straight line, change direction without swerving, and use hand signals when turning.
  • Obey all traffic signs and signals.  If you want to be safe in traffic you have to act like traffic.  Bicyclists must follow the same rules motorists do.
  • Be seen.  Wear bright colors and put reflectors and reflective tape on your bicycle.  Never ride at night without a light attached to the front of your bicycle.
  • Be heard.  Shout!  It's the quickest, most effective way to let a motorist know that he or she is putting you in danger.
  • Avoid dangerous roads.  Think ahead and select a route without hazards.  A dangerous road could have one or more of the following characteristics: narrow; little or no shoulder or no sidewalk; high speed limits, poor road conditions (i.e. pot holes, loose gravel); under repair or construction; many curves with areas where motorists will not see cyclists until they are right upon them. 
  • Keep stunts and tricks off streets and roads.  Just as race cars and stunt cars belong on race tracks, not on regular streets and highways, bicycle tricks should be confined to playgrounds and other safe areas.
  • Take on no extra weight.  Unless your bike is specially built for two, take on no passengers, and don't try to carry packages that won't fit in a bike pack or basket.