Pointing Out The Obvious Differences

The argument seems to be that not only can bicyclists not keep up or get up to an immediate speed as the flow of traffic, stop signs and traffic lights were designed with cars in mind, not bicycles. Every year, hundreds of bicyclists die in traffic accidents involving cars and thousands more are injured, according to the NHTSA. And drivers can play a big role in reducing those statistics. Of course, bicyclists have responsibilities too. If you are a cyclist, when you are in a car you most likely are more patient with a fellow cyclist. You realize that there is one less car on the road today polluting the environment, using fuel and creating potholes.

Know Your Hand Signals and More!

One responsibility of both the driver and cyclist are in knowing and using hand signs for right and left turns. If the cyclist is planning to make a right turn at an intersection or onto a street, there should be a raised left hand in a squared position or an extended right hand. When exiting your car, look out your side mirror first to make sure than a bicyclist is not passing. Bikes should always ride in the direction of traffic, always use hand signals and always come to a complete stop at signs and red lights. They should also ride in the center of the lane whenever possible. And they should ride at a fast clip and look over their shoulder and use hand signals when changing lanes or turning.

Remember, a car weighs two tons or so, while the average bike weighs a mere twenty pounds. When sharing the road with bicycles, always pass them slowly and smoothly and for heaven’s sake, don’t HONK, even if you know them!

Until next week…

Daun Thompson

Writer / Comedienne / Artist

SAFE DRIVING AROUND BICYCLISTS – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Everyone recommends wearing a helmet. If a Texan prefers not to wear a helmet and let their freak flag fly (i.e. bald spot and Ben Franklin ponytail), the must meet the following requirements:

• Must be 21 years of age or older.
• Must be covered by an applicable health insurance plan.
• Must have completed a motorcycle operator training and safety course.

Formerly a Texas motorcyclist was required to be covered with a minimum of $10,000 in health insurance if they would like to be exempt from an offense of operating or riding a motorcycle without a helmet. These rules were overruled on September 1, 2009 and repealed the helmet exemption sticker program.

Children under age 5 are prohibited from riding on a motorcycle, period! There is one exception, though, kids under 5 may ride in a sidecar attached to the motorcycle. Kids under 1 year of age must be in a car seat, facing backwards (I just made that up…who on Earth would take an infant on a motorcycle ride? Unless, of course, they won’t stop fussing.

So, it boggles the mind as to why is it that many motorcyclists don’t wear a helmet (I noticed that most bicyclists do). And critics of motorcycle helmet rights say that the costs saved by wearing helmets are never actually passed down to consumers. Although it is estimated from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) $3 billion in costs were saved as a result of helmet use in the U.S. And another 1.4 billion could have been saved if all motorcyclists were wearing helmets.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Bicycle Helmet and Motorcycle Helmet

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Working together means both motorists and bicyclists acknowledging each other, making sure to follow the most basic road safety guidelines. If you take a look at this infographic, you can get some of these basic essential tips to ensure you’re sharing the road whether you’re cruising around in your Prius, or taking on the streets in your mountain bike!

• Don’t pass bicyclists when making immediate right turns
• Avoid honking your horn when cyclists are near. Startling them could cause an accident
• Allow three feet of passing space between you and the cyclist
• Slow down when you’re passing a bicyclist, especially if the road is very narrow

On average, the accident rate for a cyclist is about 37 crashes at approximately 621,000 miles. However, with the right precautions, and some good driving tips, driving safely around bicyclists will have these statistics declining!

The post Driving Safely in the Presence of Bicyclists appeared first on Comedy Defensive Driving®.

Bicycle Safety

According to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), bicycles on the roadway are, by law, vehicles with the same rights, and responsibilities as motorized vehicles. NHTSA’s bicycle safety program focus is on research, education, and enforcement of bicyclists’ and motorists’ behavior to enhance roadway and bicycle safety and reduce bicycle injuries and fatalities in our nation.

In regards to Texas Motor Vehicle Laws, bicyclists using city streets during a ride must follow all traffic rules just like a motor vehicle. This includes stopping and yielding at signs, yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks and displaying proper illumination (front & back of bike). This also includes riding with the traffic flow on designated “one way” streets in designated bicycle lanes. Even Lance Armstrong couldn’t keep up with the flow of traffic in this state. And, using turn signals (hand signals…and, no, not the finger). Bicyclists must use hand signals to signal their intent to stop, turn left, or turn right.

Proper Hand Signals:

• Stop – Extend the left hand and arm downward
• Left Turn – Extend the left hand and arm horizontally
• Right Turn – Extend the left hand and arm upward, or extend the right hand and arm horizontally

People That Do Not Use Their Turn Signals or Blinkers

Well, if you just watched the video you will see how the general public really doesn’t know what to do. I ride a bike and drive a car and know the importance of hand signals. Seriously, your life or someone else’s life can depend on them.

There are actually 9 hand signals that bicycle riders use. If you are riding your bike on the roads it would be a good idea to learn all 9 of them. Some are as simple as alerting riders of loose gravel or dirt on the road, and others are more important…like stopping.

Comedy Defensive Driving

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