Subject: RE: Talk to me about biking and commuting I have never had problems in the dark, probably because there are few cars; but there can be lots of problems if you try to commute during rush hour. People are in a hurry and don't pay attention to you, or they take greater risks when passing you, etc.
The only things you can do to be safe are follow the rules of the road and make yourself as visible as possible. Ultimately you have no control over whether someone hits you or not, but if you act predictably you'll be much less likely to be in an accident. On the other hand, if you're running red lights and hopping on and off the sidewalk as is convenient, you expose yourself to more risk in addition to inciting drivers against you. If you're on a bike, pretend you're a car.
Acting predictably will also make you more visible, but you should also put a bunch of lights and reflective gear on. Blinking lights attract more attention than steady ones. You might also consider wearing a yellow jacket or helmet cover, because those stand out. Yellow clothes are especially helpful when it's light enough that your wimpy bike lights don't show up well, but still dark enough that people can miss you.
Oh yeah, bring a cell phone with you too. |