Bicycle Safety Riding in Traffic

The standard hand signals are all made with the left hand and arm.

Left Turn: The left arm pointed out to the left with the left hand open.

Right Turn: The left arm is out to the square with the left hand up and open.

Stopping: The left arm is out to the square with the left hand down and open.

Follow the below tips for safe traffic riding:

Scan the situation and make sure you’ve got a safe exit route in the event something unexpected happens. If you can swerve into a driveway or you’ve left plenty of room to brake, you'll drastically reduce the chances of an accident.

Drivers are under a lot of stress and they can lose it at times. You might be tempted to reciprocate. But don’t because it serves no purpose and may exacerbate the situation. Instead, take a deep breath and let it go. Don’t let someone else’s stress rub off on you.

If you intend to turn at an intersection, especially if you’re moving into the left-turn lane, signal early. And, don’t move left until it's safe to do so. If you get trapped on the right curb due to heavy traffic, wait until it's safe to get in the left-turn lane. Sometimes, it possible to turn right (if that road is less busy), execute a legal U-turn and use the light to proceed through the intersection the way you want to go.

Motor vehicles leak oil, and the deposits are usually in the middle of the lane at an intersection. Riding through motor oil and other automobile fluid is bad for your tires and can lead to loss of traction and a crash when you start pedaling again.

Look for parallel parked cars are on your right, remain alert for exiting drivers. Should they swing open their door, you'll have to react quickly to avoid a serious crash. This happened while on a group ride, although there were no serious injuries, we sure not to let the injured's ego recover.

For safety in traffic, always try to establish eye contact before moving in front of cars. When you’re behind a slow-moving vehicle, try to meet the driver's eyes by looking in his mirrors and don’t pass until he lets you know it's safe to.

If you can adopt this attitude at all times, you'll be safest in traffic and elsewhere.