21–30 of 262 posts
Illegal but safer? Before you can get safer doing illegal things, you need to know how to do things. The laws and rules exist so that anyone knows what to expect on those interactions. Doing "illegal" breaks those assumptions and might end with worst outcomes. If you don't really know how to act when you do something illegal, it won't be safer.
Pretty interesting advice with lots of less obvious advice along the lines of "doing this may be less legal but safer". An additional fact like this is riding without a helmet can actually make surrounding drivers perceive you as more dangerous, end up giving you more space, and there by make you actually safer. I still always ride with a helmet but it goes with this website auite a bit: doing things that are less ob…
I had #8 happen to me. Broad daylight, no other cars around, just a distracted driver who wasn't signalling. I'd ridden road for 5 years, but haven't since (2018). No matter how hard you try, if its a problem with the driver the car will always win. Also if you're riding in an area that's not accustomed to bikes, your risk of drivers not paying attention or being actively malicious is much higher. Now I exclusively m…
Which is why we have the "Betriebsgefahr" (operational danger) in Germany. Hard to explain, but it boils down to "You're operating something that is inherently very dangerous. So you will be held responsible to some degree when something goes wrong, even when its not your fault. You accept this responsibility by driving a car"
It's obviously way more nuanced than that, but generally if you hit a bycicle with your car (with no fault on your side), there is a very good chance that your insurance will have to pick up some slack as well, depending on the circumstances.
These are all excellent tips that make you think about situations on the road that are riskier than you may think. The recommendations about having lights front and back, using a reflective vest and not riding on the sidewalks are very practical
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Am important tip that want mentioned in here. At any even slightly risky maneuvers like the ones described, I stand up in the pedals and move my head to make obvious eye contact with the driver. Something about the exaggerated head movement seems to be really effective at getting people to pay attention. I guess we're all just hardwired to notice when someone notices us.
These are all fine tips, but I'm wondering how/why they are not mandatory in the US? Getting a headlight, having a bell, having a rear-light, not riding on the sidewalk are all mandated by law here in Germany.
There are plenty of old cycle paths on sidewalks in Germany. Often it's safer to be on the road instead.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but bycicles are forbidden to ride on the actual sidewalk (Bürgersteig, Gehweg) by adults.
These are all fine tips, but I'm wondering how/why they are not mandatory in the US? Getting a headlight, having a bell, having a rear-light, not riding on the sidewalk are all mandated by law here in Germany.
As with many things in the US, whether these sorts of laws exist is up to each individual state to decide on for themselves.
Question. Are the laws you listed just for urban areas? When competitive pro/amateur cyclists are training out on the open flat and mountain roads, do they have bells and lights on their bikes?
Lets get cars out of cities. No car in the city centre no car hitting bicycles and pedestrians. Clean air less noise.
Create incentives for biking, but don't outlaw cars.
