Another critical countermeasure to this kind of crash is to ensure that everybody
on a bicycle understands the rules of the road that apply to them and the reasons
why they should obey them. There are countless examples of education programs,
brochures, flyers, rodeos, and the like that are produced by bicycle clubs, safety
organizations, the police, school districts, public health officials, 4-H extension
agents, and many more folks besides. A summary of some of the available programs
was compiled in 1998 by researchers in Seattle, http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/fourthlevel/pdf/b_training.pdf
and the FHWA's Bicycle Countermeasures report/CD focuses heavily on educational
programs and tools.
State, County, and City governments alike have a role to play in improving
the safety of bicyclists by teaching safe riding habits from an early age. For
example, the City of Berkeley, Calif. Deals with bicycle safety programs in
its overall transportation plan www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/advance/bikeplan/chap5.html
as does the city of Madison's plan http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/transp/Bicycle/sept2000/chapt5.pdf.
The Delaware DOT website has information similar to that of many other states
http://www.state.de.us/deldot/bike/index.html.
Almost without exception, bicycle safety literature stresses the need for bicyclists
to:
· Follow the rules of the road (stop at stop lights and signs etc.)
· Ride with traffic
· Ride on the roadway
· Wear a helmet
· Use lights and reflectors when riding at night
· Signal turns
· Fit the bike correctly
For an example, visit the City of Chicago website www.cityofchicago.org/Transportation/Bikes/safety.htm
and order a copy of Safe Bicycling in Chicago. This guide to survival as a bicyclist
in Chicago comes in different languages, and has been adapted for children.
The state of Illinois and a growing number of communities outside the Chicago
area have also used this book to educate bicyclists.
See also the Bicycle Coalition of Maine's colorful bike safety brochure. http://www.bikemaine.org/BCMSafety.pdf.
In Canada, bike safety efforts are also often focused on children and the need
to teach them very basic operating rules. http://www.borealisoutdoor.com/enhanced/can-bike/10_steps.htm
Among the most popular and frequently cited bicycle education and training
programs are:
Bicycle Coalition of Maine: http://www.bikemaine.org/bsep.htm
Texas Bicycle Coalition: http://www.supercyclist.org/
League of American Bicyclists: http://www.bikeleague.org/educenter/courses.htm
City of Albuquerque, NM: http://www.cabq.gov/transit/bpsep.html#rodeo
Hawaii Bicycle League: http://www.hbl.org/bikeEd_general.html
University of Florida: http://plaza.ufl.edu/lcrider/
Canadian Cycling Association: http://www.canadian-cycling.com/e/cca/canbike.htm
More information on these and other programs is available at www.bicyclinginfo.org/ee/index.htm
