Bicycle Safety

 Along with drivers being extra alert during back to school time, it is also important to make sure our kids know the rules of the road and how to be safe.  The Deschutes County Sheriff's office has a nice brochure, aimed at younger kids, about bike safety.  It can be found at http://sheriff.deschutes.org/bicycle-safety.pdf .

But being aware of safety goes well beyond our kids.  There has long been friction between cyclists and drivers, and many of the disputes seem to come from either the cyclist or the driver having an "I own the road" attitude.  We all own the road and it is up to each of us to keep it safe.

The three most important rules for safe biking are:
1:  be predictable
2:  be courteous and
3:  be predictable.
Don't make drivers wonder what you are going to do.  Use hand signals.  If you are in a bike lane, stay in the bike lane.  If you are on a group ride, ride single file.  Obey lane divisions, traffic signals and stop signs.  If you have to ride in the road, either take a lane and go with the flow and speed of traffic, or move over to the right far enough that cars can pass.  If you are biking through a round-about and you are in the road acting like a car, then take the lane, and act like a car.  Wait for your turn and go as close to the speed of traffic as possible.  Don't encourage drivers to make an unsafe pass by riding slowly and far to the right.  Most round-abouts are not wide enough for a car to safely pass a bike, especially when the car may exit at any time.  When you exit the round-about, be predictable and signal your exit.  Make eye contact.  Oh, and 4: wear a helmet.

If you are driving a car, realize that the bike lane is another traffic lane.  Don't make a turn without making sure the lane is clear.  You would not exit the parkway by cutting from the fast lane across the slow lane to the exit.  If you are on a road without a bike lane or a narrow shoulder, and if you feel that a biker is crowding your lane, don't try to squeeze by.  Wait a few seconds until it is safe to pass, just like you would if you came upon a slow moving car.  If you come across cyclists who are riding three abreast and blocking your lane of travel, tap your horn to make sure they know you are there.  If they still won't move over, well, then I, as a cyclist, apologize for their behavior.  Be the responsible one, be patient and pass only when it is safe to do so.

As a cyclist and as a driving enthusiast, and having seen the devastating impacts of car vs. bicycle collisions, I cannot help but get frustrated when I see a cyclist weaving in and out of traffic downtown, or a car that crowds a biker off the road, or a biker blowing through a stop sign.  A few seconds saved is not worth your or someone else's health or life.  We all have to share the road.