Cycle Safety

The following is a list of pointers ( in no particular order) to help make your ride a safer one.  

• Be Seen - When you are out training wear bright clothes so you stand out and can be seen easily by car drivers. High viz vests and jackets may not be the coolest look but they maybe the difference between being seen and not. Cycle tops that are white or bright in colour are also ideal for being seen by drivers. If you riding at night or very early in the mornings make sure you have more than adequate lighting front and back.  
• Bike Check - Check your bike on a regular basis - It doesn't take long to give it a once over. Check to see if your Tyre's are inflated correctly and are in a safe condition, Are your brake pads getting worn? spokes look ok? is the seat nice and tight on it's post?, handle bars on stem tight?, drink bottle holders secure? cables worn or loose? pedals seem ok? cleats on shoes tight?. Next time you take your cycle in for a service ask the mechanic to show you what to check regularly.  
• Eye Contact - As you approach intersections and round abouts during day light hours slow down and remove your sunnies - this will give you an opportunity to make direct eye contact with the car drivers around you - usually when direct eye contact is made the car driver is forced to stop or give way as per the road rules rather than sneak through or cut you off as some of them will do.
• Blind Spot - At dusk and dawn the sun is at a certain height and can cause drivers to lose sight of the whole road with the sun in their eyes - always beware of this during those times ( not so much a problem for Wellingtonians - as they don't see the sun!)  
• Single File - unless you are way out in the sticks away from the traffic ride in single file formation - save the chatting until after the ride.There maybe times when your training partner can ride along side but most of New Zealands road's can not accommodate 2 cyclists and 1 car in the same lane. 
• Bunch Riding - Bunch riding can be fun and it's good feeling riding with others especially for those new to the sport and are looking to pick up skills and learn from others. Ensure your bunch is kept to a reasonable number of riders and that there is a leader in charge of the route and safety. Get good communication going amongst the group in regards to cars approaching from behind, pot holes in the road and other hazards.

• Keep Left - A lot of riders hug the white line at the left of the road, try moving over to the left even more. I'm not saying ride in the gutter or amongst the glass and crap on the side of the road but stay as left as possible.
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• Signal - Signal to cars your intentions, put your arm out to indicate which way you turning or if you are slowing down or stopping. When passing parked cars it's a good idea to stick your right arm out with a finger pointing down to the ground indicating your coming out and around.
• Built up areas - Built up areas are a hazard and need to be approached with caution - slow down, keep your hands on your brake hoods and be prepared to stop. Always expect the unexpected!
• Risk Management - Choose you route carefully. When planning your ride think ahead and minimize your risk by avoiding congested intersections and dangerous areas where possible. If such places are unavoidable plan how you will approach them to keep safe. Most cyclists that get hit by cars are riding through intersections and built up areas at the time - avoid them or take extreme care - ask your self this question: Is riding around Oriental parade or down Tamaki drive really going benefit my training for Taupo? personally I don't think so.
• Country Riding - The beauty about cycling in New Zealand is that quiet safe country roads are never far away. Grab a mate or two, put your bikes in the car, share the petrol costs and drive out of town to the fresh air of the country to begin your ride, there are some wicked roads for cyclists in the Waiarapa region for people from Wellington and I'm sure it's the same for cyclists in the other major cities and towns throughout godzone.
• Road Rage - It doesn't pay to get into arguments or give grief to drivers - you never know who is behind the wheel - I recall being cut of by a driver racing out of a driveway early one morning, I shook my head in disapproval of his driving skills and he spun his car around with screeching Tyre's and chased me around the streets of my neighborhood - that was pretty scary!. I'm not saying lie down and let drivers walk all over you but be careful out there - as proved in Auckland recently people can get beaten to death after small accidents.
• Skills - Back in my day at primary school we had a traffic officer come along and give us bike safety lessons and teach us cycle skills. We then progressed into cars and took those basic road skills with us. That doesn't happen anymore so a lot new riders don't have those basic skills drilled into them.The same can be said about car drivers - once we all learned to drive in cars that had no or limited power steering, there were clutches and manual gear shifters to deal with and it wasn't uncommon for people to fail their drivers test more than once. Times have changed and the skill levels of drivers have come down. There are now a lot of cyclists (and even more drivers) on the road who never rode a bike as a kid - Be careful! if you don't have confidence on a bike or a good skill level then find someone who can help you (racesmart will!). You are not responsible for the skills of others but you are responsible for your own skill levels.
• Trolley Rage - Ever noticed that in the supermarket you get people who push their trolley in the wrong direction down the aisle?, they park it in stupid places, push it to fast, too slow and even backwards. They let their kids hang off the sides, things fall out onto the ground and break open and they even leave their trolleys in the middle of the aisle while they wander off to some other part of the supermarket - Crazy! . If car drivers behaved like this there would be road rage galore, but there isn't in the supermarket - people just take a deep breath, mutter idiot to themselves and carry on fitting in with everyone else. Maybe we (and drivers) can take some of that attitude out onto the streets with us - be patient, give way, go around, slow down when need be and smile while muttering idiot - if we could all do this then maybe the roads would be a better place for all.