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B. Riding Safety
1. You are sharing the road or the path with others — motorists, pedestrians and
other cyclists. Respect their rights.
2. Ride defensively. Always assume that others do not see you.
3. Look ahead, and be ready to avoid:
• Vehicles slowing or turning, entering the road or your lane ahead of you, or
coming up behind you.
• Parked car doors opening.
• Pedestrians stepping out.
• Children or pets playing near the road.
• Pot holes, sewer grating, railroad tracks, expansion joints, road or sidewalk
construction, debris and other obstructions that could cause you to swerve into
traffic, catch your wheel or cause you to have an accident.
• The many other hazards and distractions which can occur on a bicycle ride.
4. Ride in designated bike lanes, on designated bike paths or as close to the
edge of the road as possible, in the direction of traffic flow or as directed by local
governing laws.
5. Stop at stop signs and traffic lights; slow down and look both ways at street
intersections. Remember that a bicycle always loses in a collision with a motor
vehicle, so be prepared to yield even if you have the right of way.
6. Use approved hand signals for turning and stopping.
7. Never ride with headphones. They mask traffic sounds and emergency vehicle
sirens, distract you from concentrating on what's going on around you, and their
wires can tangle in the moving parts of the bicycle, causing you to lose control.
8. Never carry a passenger, unless it is a small child wearing an approved helmet
and secured in a correctly mounted child carrier or a child-carrying trailer.
9. Never carry anything which obstructs your vision or your complete control of
the bicycle, or which could become entangled in the moving parts of the bicycle.
10. Never hitch a ride by holding on to another vehicle.
11. Don't do stunts, wheelies or jumps. If you intend to do stunts, wheelies, jumps
or go racing with your bike despite our advice not to, read Section 2.F, Downhill,
Stunt or Competition Biking, now. Think carefully about your skills before decid-
ing to take the large risks that go with this kind of riding.
12. Don't weave through traffic or make any moves that may surprise people with
whom you are sharing the road.
13. Observe and yield the right of way.
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