Isn’t riding on the road just the best? That’s at least partially sarcasm. Sadly, riding on streets and roads shared with cars is very dangerous.
Laws regarding cycling on the roads varies between countries and states, but in the USA, where I live, basic rule is that cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities (although there are roads, mostly freeways, that specifically prohibit cycling on them – but those are few and far between). You can verify that on NHTSA (National Highway Safety Administration) website. I wish more drivers knew this. Just the other day, a cab driver spent a lot of time sitting behind me honking and then flipping me off as he was trying to pass me (illegally, may I add). The thing about that situation: even forgetting that I had as much of a right to be there as he did, it’s not like he could go much faster – we were stuck in traffic and all that passing me got him was sitting in front of me on the traffic light about quarter mile down the road instead of behind me. Also, it was right next to the National Mall in DC, where there is no viable alternative to riding on the street in the afternoon. Yes, there are sidewalks. But they are packed by tourists, making it really unsafe for everybody involved to ride a bike in there. And it’s not like I’m 5, moving at speeds resembling walking!
I looked up some statistics on NHSA’s website and found them actually fascinating! (once again: I’m a nerd and I know it). Sadly, the numbers are from 2017, but they are still quite something. So here are the ones that really stuck out to me:
- There were 783 fatalities among cyclists on roads. That’s more than 2 per day! How scary is that?
- 8 times as many men died in bike crashes as women (based on my observations of people on bike paths: that’s because there are significantly more men riding bikes over longer distances, so there may be actually fewer fatalities per cyclist – although I don’t actually know).
- Majority of fatalities happen between 6pm and 9pm. Ok, this one seems rather intuitive and easy to explain: there are more people on the road at that time, both drivers and cyclists, so odds are not in your favor.
- There are more deaths in the cities than in rural areas. I can see that – I have seen a lot of distracted drivers running into intersections and I have seen them hit cyclists. Hell, I have close calls every week because drivers really want to turn right in Roslynn and totally ignore people in the crosswalk (but I know it’s a problem, so I have been able to avoid getting physically hurt on that particular intersection).
The most important thing we can all do to improve safety on the roads is for all of us to pay attention to what we are doing. It means that as a cyclist, I make sure that I can hear people and traffic around me. I keep my eyes on the road. And I keep my mind firmly grounded and paying attention to what’s going on. I can’t even tell you how many times I have yelled ‘on your left’ or something else at people and they didn’t react! That’s not cool! And same goes for drivers: you have to obey traffic laws and always stay alert and aware of what’s going on around. Main culprit: people turning without first making sure that there are no bikes coming. Dear drivers: I am sure you will be unhappy about dents in the car, but most likely that’s the worst that will happen to you. For us, it’s a matter of life and death! And when passing a cyclist, give us wide berth. I think that some drivers think that if they aren’t touching us, they are doing well. Unfortunately, there has to be more space between a cyclist and a car. For one thing, we might hit a bump or for another reason veer a little bit. For another: if you are going fast enough, the air coming off your car can hit us hard enough to cause problems. So please, stay as far away as possible. Sharing a lane is definitely not cool!
There is a handful of things we, as cyclists, can do to help drivers see us, too. I wear neon yellow (pictures don’t do it justice) helmet. Wear bright, visible clothes. I know it’s not 100% effective – after all, some car once almost hit me when I was wearing my neon orange Marine Corps Marathon shirt that practically glows in the middle of a sunny day. But it helps. Use lights on your bike: white headlight and red light in the back. I have a strong preference for both of those lights being steady ones. Those blinking ones drive me nuts! So if I ever appear to be passing you at a strangely fast speed looking like I’m doing speed intervals and you have one of those lights – you know what’s going on. My friend Eric (frequently mentioned below when it comes to surviving your bike rides) said that apparently rear lights increase your chances of not getting hit significantly even during the day.
Now that we covered that, let’s talk accidents.
Your most likely injury from simply wiping out: road rash.
It was worse than it looks in the picture… It was actually a pretty deep scratch and it’s healing poorly. Whenever you have open wounds, make sure that you clean them out properly and apply Neosporin (or something similar – in different countries they may have different ointments to help keep the cuts clean). Remember that when you get road rash, you may have picked up little pebbles, grains of sand and other stuff with your would. It can cause a lot of problems if not addressed immediately. A useful tip from my old daycare teacher (she was talking about it for kids, but it works for adults as well): once the scab dries, put some vaseline on it. The reason for it is to keep the scab pliable. It’s most useful when the road rash is on joints, such as knees and elbows. When the scabs are dry, they can crack when you move around, which can hurt and it causes your injuries to take longer to heal. Vaseline prevents the scabs from cracking.
WEAR A HELMET!!!
This is my friend’s Eric’s helmet:
Eric is smart. Eric always wears a helmet. Be like Eric. Be smart. Wear a helmet.
Eric was wearing this helmet when on a bike ride in rural Pennsylvania. It was a nice day and the road was empty. He was doing everything right and riding along like many times before and after until a car came too close to him and side swiped him. The next thing he remembers is waking up in a hospital (which isn’t exactly close to where he crashed, either). He is alive today because he made a smart choice and wore a helmet. I remember years ago hearing a story from a friend about being a juror in a case where a kid got permanent damage from crashing on his bike – and no, he wasn’t wearing a helmet. I have a feeling I wouldn’t be writing this blog post today if I wasn’t religious about wearing a helmet while biking, either. About a week and a half ago, I was riding to work, minding my own business when I hit mud mixed with leaves on a turn at a bottom of a downhill and then hit a small ledge before I fully recovered from that loss of balance. I still have neck problems from it. Since there is a lot to be said about bike helmets, I will be writing a separate, full article on the issue in the coming weeks.
Whiplash is probably one of the more common neck injuries associated with sports and car accidents. It happens when your head is quickly thrown forward and then backward. My neck injury clearly is not that – it’s only on my right side and associated with hitting my head on the side. Either way, if you have neck problems, you may want to see a doctor about it. And most definitely don’t strain it until you recover. Trust me, I’m speaking from experience of being stupid: I went for a run with my backpack (part of commute to work) just a week after my bike crash. And then I couldn’t turn my head for a day and I can clearly feel a setback in my recovery. So: give yourself ample time to fully recover!
And if you are unlucky, this may happen:
This is again my friend Eric, who got side swiped by a car while riding nicely along the side of a road. That’s some serious injury! He is flat out crazy, so it didn’t take him long to be back out there (he was out there before the doctor even got a chance to voice his opinion), but let’s face it: something like that can mean the end of the season.
Let’s all try our best to fix the statistics: no more runners and cyclists dying on the roads!