Safety Equipment

Riding with children

Use care and caution when cycling with young children who are too young to ride themselves. Keep in mind that a bicycle child seat mounted behind the bicycle seat alters your centre of gravity while riding and may increase the risk of losing balance. Take extra caution when placing and removing the child from the carrier. Never leaveyour bike unattended when a child is in the carrier.

An alternative way to carry children is to use a child bicycle trailer towed behind your bicycle. Bike trailers are stable and not prone to tipping. Most trailers are attached either directly to the bike frame or the seat post by means of a u-joint.

Be seen and heard

Because bicycles are one of the smallest vehicles on the road, it is important for cyclists to be as visible as possible to other road users at all times.

Lighting

By law your bicycle must have a white front light and a red rear light or reflector when you ride between one-half hour before sunset and one-half hour after sunrise. As pedestrians. well, the law requires white reflective strips on the front forks and red reflective strips on the rear stays.

Clothing

Clothing can improve or reduce visibility. Yellow and white stand out best at night; dark colours are difficult to see. Pedal reflectors and reflective material on wrists, ankles, heels, clothing and helmets help others see you.

Dawn and dusk

When riding directly into or away from the sun at these times, leave extra room and be ready for sudden stops or swerves by traffic around you. Be particularly alert at intersections and scan carefully.

Be heard

Bicycles are very quiet vehicles, so it is important to warn other cyclists and pedestrians of your approach. By law, all bikes must have a working bell or horn to announce your approach. At times it is just as effective and more courteous to shout something like “passing on the left” when overtaking other cyclists and pedestrians.

pedestrians.

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Over the next number of blogs we will cover Safety Equipment (Sizing, Safety Check, Helmets, Visibility), Handling Skills, Riding in Traffic (Where, Intersections, Signs and traffic signals, Dealing with trucks and buses), Obstacles and Road surfaces, Cycling and the Law and Electric Bicycles.  Stay tuned for the next few weeks as we cover some important information to keep YOU safe while cycling!

Watch for” CYCLING SKILLS (Safe Cycling)  Part 5 – Handling Skills” in the Blog on Monday, August 9th.

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The following information is taken from the Government of Ontario website and addresses “Ontario’s Guide to Safe Cycling”.  For more information please see http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/pubs/cycling-guide/index.shtml