Hand Signals for Bicycles:

• 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.

A bicycle is a vehicle and a person operating a bicycle has the rights and duties applicable to a driver operating a vehicle. This, according to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, gives good legal cause to sharing the road with bikes. Bicyclists that do not follow street signs and laws are subject to the same penalties as a motor vehicle driver. If you ride a bicycle, you should check your own city’s bicycle laws as well as city ordinances on wearing a helmet.

Additional laws bicycles need to follow:

Here’s some additional information which is not only good for the bicyclist to know, but those driving around bicyclists as well. If a person operating a bicycle on a roadway is moving slower than the flow of traffic, they need to ride as near as possible to the right curb or edge of the roadway. However, there are exceptions to this law. Under the following conditions the law allows bicyclists to take the full lane of travel when:

• The person is passing another vehicle moving in the same direction.
• The person is preparing to turn left at an intersection or onto a private road or driveway.
• When there are unsafe conditions on the roadway, including fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, pedestrians, animals, or surface hazards that prevents the person from safely riding next to the curb or edge of the roadway.
• The lane is of substandard width (less than 14 feet in width and not having a designated bicycle lane adjacent to that lane) making it unsafe for a bicycle and a motor vehicle to safely travel side by side.

And persons operating bicycles on a roadway may ride two abreast, but they must share a single lane. They may not impede the normal flow of traffic and they may not ride more than two abreast unless they are riding on a part of a roadway set aside for the exclusive operation of bicycles. I’ve been stuck behind a row of those guys at the lake. Although, the view wasn’t so bad, I still want those hours of my life back.

Share the road with bikes:

If you are a bike enthusiast or just a weekend warrior, you may be interested to know that now, in Texas, you may purchase specialty license plates from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles that will hopefully remind people about sharing the road with bikes. And, a portion of the fee funds a variety of Bike Texas programs such as the Safe Routes to School program, the Community Trails Program as well as the Share the Road program for bicyclist and motor safety education.

Until next week…bicyclists are people too (just goofier looking). Look out for them.

Daun Thompson
Writer/ Comedienne/ Artist

Sharing the Road With Bikes – 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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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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Now, with gas prices at their all-time high, there are more motorcycles on the road. A lot of people bought a motorcycle to save money on commuting. Not to mention, a motorcycle is much easier on the environment than a car. Plus, you can get on the H.O.V. by yourself on a motorcycle. Not a bad deal, as opposed to being out there on the freeway, riding alongside a bunch of cars with drivers who are not paying one bit of attention and could take you out at any moment. So now, with more distractions in the car and more motorcycles on the road, it’s a lethal combination.

You may have noticed billboards and electronic signs that remind you to share the road and to look twice for motorcycles. It’s typically the driver of the car who is at fault and takes down the motorcyclist by not seeing them and cutting them off. Yes, you as the driver of a car may argue that some of those motorcyclists are popping wheelies and whipping in between lanes. But not everyone is. In defense of some of those bikers out there who are not hot-dogging it, but are lane-splitting, they’re probably just trying to get as far ahead of traffic as quickly as they can so they don’t put themselves in a bad situation. It is against the law in Texas to lane-split. But lane-splitting has been legal in California since the early 80’s. They are the only state that allows it. But don’t give up hope, Texas is looking into it. I don’t get on the freeway on a bike anymore. My sister Karla does. She’s got a thing for bikers. I was with her when she met her latest boyfriend. She pointed him out from across the bar. He was dressed in full leathers. Bandana on his head. Kinda cute. I had noticed him earlier because he had arrived in the parking lot when we did. He pulled up in a beat-up old Nova. The bumper sticker said “My Other Car’s a Porche” (Ya, right. And my boobs are in my other shirt). She said, “Check him out. Now he’s a real biker.” I’m like “He pulled up in a Nova. He doesn’t even own a bike. He’s a biker without a bike. He’s a loser.”

So, in Texas, if you are driving a car and you cut off a motorcyclist and they go down, it’s an automatic $500 fine. Me? I don’t think it’s high enough. I think the fine should be much higher and they should make people well aware that they need to be paying the heck attention out there! If the accident results in serious bodily injury or death to that motorcyclist, the fine is higher. Honestly, if someone goes down on the freeway on a bike, even if they survive it, there are other cars that may run over their body. So their chances of survival are slim. The Texas helmet law is another controversial subject. If you are 21, you don’t have to wear a helmet. But you must have proof that your insurance will cover a head injury. Most younger bikers I see are wearing helmets. It’s the burly old bikers, like my Dad that don’t wear a helmet. Guys my age and older. I’ve asked some of them that I know “Why would you not want to wear a helmet if you have a choice?” And some of them say the helmet messes with their peripheral vision or impairs their hearing. But the honest ones say they just don’t want to mess up their hairdoo. You ever see one of those old bikers and they have this long, beautiful flowing hair like a girl. From behind, you think they’re a girl. And when they turn around, they have this zz-top beard. And most of them my age have no hair where the helmet would go anyway. Typically, that part of their head is completely bald! Kind of like that Bret Michaels. You know there’s probably nothing under that bandana…just a bald head. He should just tattoo a bandana on his bald head!

We have a lot of motorcycles out there and we have to look twice for them. So look twice to save a life…motorcycles are everywhere.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
( Daun Thompson is a comedian, writer and artist residing in Dallas, Texas )

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