Basics of riding with traffic

Contrary to popular belief, cycling in traffic is neither particularly difficult nor particularly dangerous.

1. There are many types of bicycle accidents.

2. Car-bike collisions are not the most frequent type.

3. Being hit from behind by a car is a very infrequent type of accident.

4. Most accidents are caused by cyclist error.

5. Those cyclists who would appear to be most cautious have the higher accident rate, while those who appear to take greater risks have the lower rate.

6. Cyclists learn through experience to avoid about 80% of accident situations.

Traffic operates according to rational principles, and the traffic laws for drivers of vehicles, i.e. Cyclists, follow these principles:

1. Ride on the right side of the roadway, not on the left and never on the sidewalk.

2. Yield to crossing traffic at superior streets.

3. Yield to overtaking traffic before changing lanes.

4. Position yourself according to your destination when approaching an intersection. (In other words, move to the left if you are turning left. Don’t stay in the right-hand turn lane if you are going straight.)

5. Position yourself according to your speed relative to other traffic between intersections. (In other words, if you are moving slower than other traffic, move to the right. If you are moving as fast as the rest of traffic - TAKE THE LANE!)

Cyclists who operate in accordance with the traffic laws for drivers of vehicles (which is what the law requires) encounter few problems and have a low accident rate. This is the vehicular-cycling principle: "Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles." The problem is that people have been taught to fear cycling in the vehicular manner. The groups of cyclists who are most likely to obey the traffic laws (vehicular cyclists), and hence are commonly supposed to be taking great risks, have an accident rate only one-fifth of that of those who ride fearfully and disobey the traffic laws (sidewalk cyclists) to avoid the accidents they fear! The problem is that the fear that controls the fearful cyclists is of the accident type that is less than 1% of accidents to cyclists (being hit from behind by a car). Trying to avoid this 1% makes them worse risks for all the other types. Cycling in traffic is not exactly like driving a car. The cyclist is often slower than other traffic, but he or she is also narrower. One difference offsets the other, and with training and experience the cyclist can modify the technique used for full-width vehicles to ride safely with little or no disturbance to motorists.