Not all cycling accidents are due to the negligence of the driver. Although 80% of cyclists face road bullying every day, we mustn’t deny that there are times where uneducated cyclists endanger the lives of other motorists instead. Our duty is to make sure such incidents won’t happen again in the future.
These are the top 5 dumb things cyclists do that tarnishes what the community stands for. Don’t be one of them, please!
#1 Smashing into anyone and anything
Losing control of your bicycle can be catastrophic. Have a safety check before every ride to make sure your gears and brakes are working fine.
If you’re a fixed-gear rider riding brakeless, but lack the situational awareness needed, then you have to be responsible to pedestrians and motorists to slow down in time. If you don’t have that, then I’m sorry to say that you don’t belong on the road.
#2 Beating the red light
This is the simplest rule of them all, but yet there are still many who beat the red light out of sheer confidence that they can make it through safely. Please do yourself and everyone a favour and stop that nonsense.
DO NOT cycle through even if you’re left with a few seconds of green/amber light.
#3 Not observing motorists’ signals
If you want to cycle on the road, you have to know basic road etiquette. And part of having good road sense is knowing when to look out for motorists signals and how to give signals yourself. Never ignore a vehicle’s blinkers and assume that they will give way to you – especially if you didn’t signal at all yourself.
If you see a vehicle indicating he’s about to make a left turn, then slow down and give way instead of going fast to beat him to it.
Take the time to practice these bicycle hand signals when on the road:
#4 Swerving your way through like you own the road
The road is not your playground. There are rules to follow with every turn you take. If you have children, teach them the right way to change lanes and signal while doing so.
Unless they’re 100% comfortable cycling on the road, urge them to use the PCN instead.
#5 No helmets on!!
All except one of the examples shown above had cyclists cycling through with no helmets on.
We’ve heard horror stories and near-death experiences of cyclists who went on without helmets and most of them have either stopped cycling or are now a firm believer of wearing helmets everywhere they go.
Don’t risk your life, wear it properly at all times.
When she's not writing, Mizah is constantly wired 24/7. She loves cats, cycling at night, and can't survive without her weekly dose of chicken rice.
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