Attorney Jason Tremont discusses National Bike Safety Month and the importance of staying safe on the roads.
As someone who loves long-distance bicycling, I always look forward to the start of spring. There are some excellent places to ride in Connecticut, Long Island and Rhode Island, and it’s around this time of year that I start planning my next ride. May is also National Bike Month, a chance for cyclists and drivers to reflect on the shared responsibility we have for staying safe on the roadways.
Events all month long promote cycling as viable transportation. Many schools participate in National Bike to School Day on May 15, an event that encourages children to give this healthy form of commuting a try. National Bike to Work Day is May 16, an event that has become competitive in many communities as they strive to drive their ridership rates up every year.
I’m often asked to provide some tips for bike riders. I always tell them how it’s as important for bicyclists to know and follow the rules of the road as it is for drivers. Make sure you have protective equipment – from helmets to reflectors – that is designed specifically for your activity. Replace your helmet if you’re involved in a crash. Insist that your children wear – and buckle – their helmets.
Here are some other guidelines from the League of American Bicyclists’ Smart Cycling Program:
- Bike with the flow of traffic and obey traffic signs and signals.
- Yield when entering a roadway.
- Yield when changing lanes.
- Do not pass on the right.
- Position properly at an intersection (in the right most lane that goes to your destination).
- If riding on a sidewalk, ride at a walking pace and stop or yield at every driveway and intersection.
- Use hand signals when changing lanes, making a turn, or stopping.
Enjoy all that the biking season has to offer!
