Cars & Bikes!

Don't ride two abreast on busy roads. There really isn't a quicker way to make car drivers hate cyclists more than totally blocking an entire lane of traffic. I'm a cyclist and I get VERY annoyed when I come up behind two cyclists riding next to each other who seem like they are oblivious to traffic. It's one thing to have a conversation on a quiet side road, but many cyclists ignore this cardinal rule on busy County roads.

Stay as far to the right as is safely possible. Yes, there are sand, glass, potholes, and a myriad of other hazards that a bicyclist can encounter when riding the shoulder of the road, however I routinely see cyclists riding WELL into the driving lane with no regard for motor vehicles. If there are no obstructions, ride as far to the right as possible - don't ride out in the lane just because "you can".

Utilize hand signals in traffic. Sharing means letting the other traffic (you are traffic on a bike believe it or not) know what you are doing by using hand signals for turning and stopping. Hand signals should be clear and decisive to be at all effective - remember, you don't have a flashing light on your back.

Wear reflective material when riding at dawn or dusk. Refelctive strips on your shoes, jacket, bike, etc. are VERY effective warning signs to motorists that there is a cyclist on the road.

Ride on the right side of the road! I know, it's usually not the avid touring/racing cyclists that break this rule, but it's an important one. You ARE NOT safer riding toward traffic "so you can see the cars coming at you". If you're doing 25 miles per hour on a bicycle going against traffic, and a car is coming 45 miles per hour toward you, what is the "effective speed" versus traffic? Yes, 70 miles per hour. We're talking head-on at 70 miles per hour. If you are going with traffic doing the same speed, the "effective speed" is 20 miles per hour (45 minus 25). Not that either would be fun, but if you had the choice of a head-on collision doing 70 mph or a head-on collision doing 20 mph, which would YOU choose?

Instead of Flipping the Bird, Wave. Some people say to not do ANYTHING that will provoke a driver, and that's probably good advice, but I personally choose the "wave and smile" routine. It makes me feel better, and gets under a drivers skin enough to make them wonder if you thought you knew them, or you were just being a prick.

Rules for Motorists:

Yield the Right-of-Way. As a cyclist I have seen this rule broken more than once. Bikes have to follow the same rules that cars have to follow - which means they also get many of the same rights.

Slow down and give a little room. Some motorists think that by increasing their speed and practically brushing the cyclists shoulder with their mirror is a good idea. Do they think that giving a cyclist a "brush back" is going to make them stop cycling on the roads? Or do they just not think?

Don't blow your horn when you're already next to the cyclist. This is a tricky one. I think there are two reasons people do this. For one, I think some think they are "warning" the cyclist that they are passing. Well, even if the horn was this innocent, it's probably not a good idea. A startled cyclist is a cylist who's not going to be riding in a straight line. The second reason is probably the more common one. It's the "I'm pissed because I'm trying to get to the grocery store, return last nights DVD rental, pick up clothes at the dry cleaner, and check my PO box at the post office in the next 20 minutes and this DAMN CYCLIST just slowed me down and caused me to lose 20 seconds on an already tight schedule." Sometimes this maneuver is combined with the "brush back" maneuver making for a really cheery day for a cyclist. Now kids, what's the response to this crazed driver? That's right, a gleeming toothy smile and a wave.

Don't underestimate the speed of a cyclist. For some reason, there are motorists out there that think bicycles can go no faster than 5 miles per hour - now perhaps with the shape that I'm in right now, that would be the truth. Let's be honest however, most cyclists average speed is somewhere in the 20 mph range. Which means on a slight down-grade, a bike is probably going about 30 mph (or on a slight up-grade if your name is Lance). Simply put, if you don't think you could make it before a car got to the intersection that you're about to pull out into, you probably won't make it before that cyclist gets there either.