Bike Safety
Bike Safety tips and resources
Below you will find some helpful links to articles and pages that include fun and smart ways to ride SAFE!! Bike Walk Mississippi is working on all levels (design, legislation, education, enforcement and more) to make sure that Mississippi is a safe place to bike, walk and run!
We hope you’ll find some helpful hints below:
ABC QUICK CHECK
- A is for air
- Inflate tires to rated pressure as listed on the sidewall of the tire
- Use a pressure gauge to insure proper pressure
- Check for damage to tire tread and sidewall; replace if damaged
- B is for brakes
- Inspect pads for wear; replace is there is less than ¼” of pad left
- Check pad adjustment; make sure they do not rub tire or dive into spokes
- Check brake level travel; at least 1″ between bar and lever when applied
- C is for cranks, chain and cassette
- Make sure that your crank bolts are tight; lube the threads only, nothing else
- Check your chain for wear; 12 links should measure no more than 12 1/8 inches
- If your chain skips on your cassette, you might need a new one or just an adjustment
- Quick is for quick releases
- Hubs need to be tight in the frame; your quick release should engage at 90°
- Your hub quick release should point back to insure that nothing catches on it
- Inspect brake quick releases to insure that they have been re-engaged
- Check is for check it over
- Take a quick ride to check if derailleurs and brakes are working properly
- Inspect the bike for loose or broken parts; tighten, replace or fix them
- Pay extra attention to your bike during the first few miles of the ride
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Some suggestions for when you are riding in a city or on highly populated roads:
- FOLLOW THE RULES OF THE ROAD
- Ride predictably, use hand signals and make eye contact with drivers.
- Don’t ever ride in the door zone
- Frequently check behind you for approaching traffic
- Get lights and reflectors for night time riding
- Don’t pass on the right
- Don’t stop to the right of cars at a red light—take the lane!
- Wear a helmet and fit it properly
- Treat motorists and pedestrians with the same respect that you expect to recieve
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Top three most common types of crashes:
- Motorist turning or merging into the path of a bicyclist
- Motorist overtaking a bicyclist (often involving a motorist who misjudged the space required to safely pass).
- Bicyclist turning or merging into the path of a motorist (often involving a bicyclist making a left turn in front of a motorist traveling in the same direction.)
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Statistics and Safety Studies:
- Did you know that studies show that the more bicyclists on the roads, the safer it becomes? “Safety in Numbers”
- National Hwy Traffic Safety Administration: Traffic Safety Facts 09
- How many cyclists are killed and injured each years: League of American Bicyclists: Facts and Figures
- Comprehensive Bicycle Fatality Data & Statistics divided by Age, Gender, Year, Month: Fatality Fact 09
- Bicycle Helmet Safety Institution: Helmet Related Statistics
- Bicyclinginfo: Bicycle Crash Facts
- Find other statistics about biking HERE (Health, Economic Development, Environment Benefits)
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Some helpful links and articles on Safety
Thanks to Starkville in Motion, please enjoy this helpful video on Riding Safe and Sharing the Road!