Why Is It Important to Be Safe While Biking?

Each year in the United States, about 800 people die in bicycle-related accidents. About a quarter are children between the ages of 5 and 14. More than 1 million children receive medical treatment for biking-related injuries each year.

The keys to safe bicycling include being predictable, visible, and communicating your intentions to motorists.

A key aspect of avoiding accidents is to "be predictable". Make it easy for motorists and other cyclists to tell what you are going to do. This involves simply following the same rules as other vehicles, or "Vehicular cycling". This refers to the practice riding a bicycle in a way similar to the way drivers handle motor vehicles. Typically, you will follow the same path as a motor vehicle, although you will frequently be displaced a bit to the right so as not to hold up faster traffic. This approach tends to minimize the amount of sideways motion on the roadway. Similarly, turns are made the same way that drivers make turns. The rationale is based on the observation that stopping distances and turning radii increase quadratically with speed, and consequently a cyclist, who is almost always riding at well above the speed of a pedestrian, should behave more like the driver of a vehicle than like a pedestrian. The following practices are advisable:

• Obey normal traffic rules.
• Ride in a straight line (i.e., parallel to the lane/lanes), changing position on the roadway slowly and carefully.
• Nominally you should stay 3 to 5 feet to the side of vehicular traffic (i.e., with a 3 to 5 foot gap between the cyclist and vehicular traffic), but if the lane width is not sufficient, it is usually better to use the full traffic lane. When this is necessary, vehicles will pass by changing lanes. It is also better to use a full lane when going as fast as vehicles: otherwise one risks being "lost" in a vehicle's blind spot.

Cyclists are required to obey the same rules as drivers. Since an adult cyclist almost always has a driver's license, there is little reason to go over these rules in detail, as most have actually learned the material, but it is important to emphasize that bicyclists are required to obey these rules and that the failure to obey these rules is a major contributing factor for accidents. In particular, riding the wrong way, ignoring stop signs, running red lights, and failure to observe right-of-way rules for lane changes are major contributing factors in those accidents in which cyclists are at fault.

A few traffic laws apply primarily to bicyclists. In the typical case, these can be summarized as follows.

• Cyclists must obey the same rules as drivers, and have the same rights.
• When riding at speeds less than the normal speed of traffic, a cyclist should nominally stay to the right , either in a bike lane, or near the right side of the roadway. The roadway is that portion of the road used for vehicular travel, so there is no requirement to ride on a shoulder or to weave in between parked cars, or to even ride in an area marked for parking when no cars are parked there.
• The "stay to the right" and bike lane rules have numerous exceptions, including preparing for a left turn, avoiding debris or other hazards, passing slower bicyclists or vehicles, and approaching a place where a right turn is permitted. As written, the latter exception includes driveways, not just intersections.
• Bicyclists have to ride in the same direction as vehicular traffic, both on and off the roadway (e.g., when on a shoulder), but this requirement does not apply on sidewalks.
• Riding on sidewalks and walkways is strictly prohibited.
• Lights and reflectors must be used at night.

You don't have to wear Lycra:

...and you don't have to ride twenty miles a day. But it does help to learn a little more about the best ways to ride, traffic and road safety, bike maintenance, and other cycling issues.

Even adult cyclists who maintain that they only cycle on paths or quiet streets should not underestimate the importance of wearing a helmet. Accidents can happen anywhere.

Bicycle Safety Guidelines

• Wear a bicycle helmet. It is NYS law for persons less than 14 years of age and BNL policy for all cyclists on site. Article 34 section 1238
• Ride with the traffic flow.
• Ride in a straight line and single file.
• Stop at stop signs and red lights.
• Use a light, reflectors and reflective clothing during darkness.
• Wear bright clothing during the daytime.
• Ride to the right if you are moving slower than other traffic, unless you are turning left, passing another bicycle or vehicle, or avoiding hazards.
• Keep a safe distance from parked cars.
• Use proper hand signals when turning, stopping, or changing lanes.
• Use extra caution when it is raining, and allow extra time to stop.
• Cross railroad tracks at a right angle.
• Walk your bike when using a crosswalk.
• Do not wear headphones on both ears while riding.
• Keep your bike properly maintained so it is safe.
• Do not drink and ride. Ride defensively.
• Use hand signals.
• Be alert for road hazards.
• Watch for cars at cross streets and driveways.
• Obey all traffic signals.
• Use lights at night.
• Keep your bike in good condition.
• Ride in the same direction as the flow of traffic. Keep right where practicable to allow vehicles to pass.
• Be aware of parked cars and watch for car doors that may open.
• Give pedestrians the right of way.

Bicycle Helmets

Whether you cycle around the site for business or pleasure, the newly issued BNL bicycle-safety policy notes that you must wear a bicycle helmet when cycling at BNL and that the helmet must conform to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standard.

For those using BNL-issued bicycles, helmets meeting the CPSC standard can be ordered from inventory. The stock number for helmets is K-70310.

Suggestions from fellow bicyclists on-site:

• LED bike lights (front and back twin pack from Bell) are about $12.  These lights may provide more safety in addition to the required helmet.  A red strobe to the rear gets drivers attention.
• Those riding on William Floyd know that the road can be tricky in some places, especially passing the LIE or Rt. 25 clover leafs and making the left turn off Wm. Floyd southbound into the North Gate of the lab.  A fellow Bicyclist points out that there may be some bicyclists out there that are riding on the left side of the road when riding on Wm. Floyd and entering the North Gate.  Instead of riding on the left side of the road, ride on the right shoulder going south on Wm. Floyd and then cross two lanes of traffic at the appropriate time to get into the turning lane for the lab. Once in that lane, take the center of the lane for the short time that you are in it and let cars just stay behind you. Once across the Wm. Floyd northbound lanes and onto the lab entry road, go back to the right side of the road.  This suggestion supports one of the "keys to safe bicycling...." listed at the top of this Web Page and copied here:
  
  "Nominally, you should stay 3 to 5 feet to the side of vehicular traffic (i.e., with a 3 to 5 foot gap between the cyclist and vehicular traffic), but if the lane width is not sufficient, it is usually better to use the full traffic lane. When this is necessary, vehicles will pass by changing lanes. It is also better to use a full lane when going as fast as vehicles: otherwise one risks being "lost" in a vehicle's blind spot."
  

Note: Bicycle helmets are a restricted-inventory item, so you must be authorized by your ES&H Coordinator or someone similar to order one through the PeopleSoft pick-ticket system.  LED bike lights are not a BNL supplied item and if interested, bicyclists are suggested to purchase them on their own.

Last Modified: April 30, 2009
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