Using a bicycle as your primary mode of transportation in and around campus is an excellent way to do your part for the environment, improve your health and save money. However, you do need to follow some basic bicycling safety tips to ensure that your chosen mode of transportation is safe.
Bicycle Safety Tips
- Wear a helmet. Being safe is cool. Head injuries are forever. A helmet is your best defense.
- You wouldn’t drive a car to campus or the store and leave it unlocked, so don’t leave your bike vulnerable to theft. Invest in a good bike lock and use it, every time you ride your bike.
- Some cities and college campuses have specific rules about bike riding. If you’re lucky enough to live in a community with a connected series of bike paths, use them. It’s always safer to ride on the path if the option exists.
- Some college campuses allow bikes everywhere. Others allow them only on designated routes, keeping sidewalks free for walking students and faculty. Be sure you know the rules on campus and follow them. If bikes are allowed everywhere on campus, be sure to pedal at a safe speed to avoid collisions with pedestrians or other obstacles.
- If your route to and from campus or work requires you to ride on city streets, the rules of the road all apply. That means you need to stop at stop signs and red lights, give pedestrians the right of way and yield to oncoming traffic.
- On streets, ride with the traffic, not facing it. Stay to the far right unless you’re turning left. Stay off of sidewalks unless it’s allowed. You should also assume that cars cannot see you. Be particularly cautious when you’re riding in the right lane and traffic has the option of turning right. Cars don’t always look for bikes, so it’s up to you to avoid being clipped by a car that carelessly turns in front of you by staying aware at all times.
Riding a bike offers a lot of freedoms, but it’s important to always ride with caution to make sure you get where you’re going safely.
Do you have any additional bike safety tips? Let us know about them in the comment section below.
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3 Comments. Leave new
one of my roommates was stopped by university police for speeding on his bike! my buddy got off with a warning but some schools definitely will bust you 😮
This was very help for my roommates and I – we knew a lot of the rules but did not know the specific rules for biking on campus.
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