Bicycle safety

[fatlazyless]

Now that the warmer weather is here, it's a safe bet that cars and bicycles will be sharing the same roads, and here's something that maybe you did not know.

New Hampshire now has a law which requires car drivers to maintain at least a three foot space between the car and the bicycle for speeds up to 30-mph. For every 10-mph above 30-mph, the space increases by one foot, so at 50-mph a car is supposed to maintain a five foot safety space. If there's no oncoming traffic, you can cross the center line, briefly, to make the space. If there is oncoming traffic, then slow down and wait.

Also, wearing a helmet is strongly recommended, and can make a huge difference should you catch your front wheel in one of those ever present asphalt cracks and smack your head against a granite curb.

[Tiger Lilly]

Thank you, thank you for posting this!!

[jmen24]

It should also be noted that this does not mean as a bicylce rider that you should be 4 feet off the shoulder. We have quite a few folks in our area that think this is OK or they ride side-by-side down the road. Neither is a good idea.

[ghfromaltonbay]

Back in April I encountered 3 cyclists riding side-by-side heading east on Rt. 11 about 1/4 mile before Ellacoya (in the 55 mph zone). I had no choice but to cross the double yellow line which was ok at the time since no one was heading towards us. During heavier summer traffic times this could be deadly.

[Jonas Pilot]

Every person riding a bicycle has the same rights and privileges of persons driving cars, the bicycle driver has the same responsibilities as other drivers.

http://www.nh.gov/dot/nhbikeped/safety.htm

[Tiger Lilly]

Sharing the road with bicycles is hardly a hardship

[SIKSUKR]

Yikes, that's quite a rant. I avoid biking on the road at all costs. No thanks, too many distracted drivers out there. My horn and bumper are pretty good at removing those pesky non motorized vehicles from my path.

[jmen24]

I am guessing that my statement was taken as I do not tolerate bike riders on the road. Not knowing me I could understand that, but being an avid participant in the sport (racing in high school, tuning my own bikes and others from that point through today, having many contacts with national manufactures that have come about from my activity in the sport and being "hopefully" quite close to a startup of my own centered around the sport) should clarify that I am not coming from a position of I am in a car and you should not be here attitude.

My statement was meant to serve as a reminder to folks either just starting out or looking for an additional form of exercise that some common ground needs to be shared when out for a ride. If you cannot keep it near the shoulder, you should probably keep it to the back and less traveled roadways. Riding 4 feet off the white line or side-by-side so that a conversation can be had is much better suited away from normal flow of traffic and there are actually many options for this in almost any area. Just because the law is on the bicycle side does not mean that the mirror or front end of a car will not hurt. Sharing the road means giving another vehicle room to pass on the left, that means you need to listen for a vehicle approaching and move over to allow everyone as much space as possible.


Also as a side note: Wearing a helmet is the number one safety item, but if you happen to take a fall and that helmet strikes the ground, it needs to get put in the trash and a new one needs to be purchased. That also stands to be the rule if the helmet falls off a high shelf or gets tossed quite hard into the back of the truck often. Also a failure of the seam tape between the shell and the foam is cause to for disposal.

The foam material that absorbs the contact is a one time use only. It will not provide the same protection twice, no ifs ands or buts. Check any manufacturer warning and you will see this noted. If you purchased at a bike shop it should have been explained to you by your sales rep as well.

Happy biking.