Don T Think Bike , Think Life

Submitted by: Faster John

About a season ago I shifted to Cambridge, a town in the UK that is well known for having an incredibly high variety of bikers on the streets there is about as much possibility of you being on a street in Cambridge without seeing a motorcyclist as there is of you being on a street in New York City without seeing a yellow cab.

As a car owner, I look for the variety of bikers on the street is somewhat of a hassle the filter paths (which are too filter to perfectly provide both a car and a cyclist) and the great variety of visitors in the town mean that even only one motorcyclist can (at least appear to) considerably slowly your trip. Not only that, but many of the bikers are non-drivers who have little attention of the Road Value or of what motorists can and cannot see they take out suddenly, go through red lighting, pattern without lighting etc.

However, as a cyclist I find the behavior of drivers equally frustrating cars frequently overtake with the bare minimum of space they can get away with (leaving far less than the recommended 3 feet or the as much room as you would allow for a car ); they swerve in and out of cycle lanes (scary stuff when you re a cyclist going faster than slow-moving traffic); and they also very often fail to look for cyclists when pulling out onto roads (only 3 months after being in Cambridge I had a car drive straight into me because the driver had been focusing on looking for oncoming cars rather than bikes and just hadn t seen me).

Any cyclists out there know what a nightmare drivers can be, and any drivers know what a pain in the a** cyclists can be this isn t exactly news right? So what s the point of all my grumbling?

Well, it s this:

This month there have been a lot of incidents reported in the news of well-known cyclists being injured by cars while out on public roads:

On the 7th Nov Bradley Wiggins, Tour de France winner and four-time Olympic champion, was knocked off his bike near a petrol station in Lancashire.

On the 8th Nov Shane Sutton, British Cycling head coach, was involved in an incident while pedalling along the A6 in Manchester.

On the 19th Nov Mark Cavendish, 2011 Road Race world Champion, collided with a car while training in Italy.

Because these road accidents involved high profile individuals they were well reported in the media. However, literally thousands of cycling road incidents occur each year in Britain, with approximately 19,000 cyclists being killed or injured. The RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) reports on its website the following figures for cycling accidents reported in 2011:

107 Killed

3,085 Seriously injured

16,023 Slightly Injured

19,215 Total Incidents

As a nation we are too sedentary and obesity and other non-communicable diseases (such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease) related to inactivity are on the increase. Cycling is a great form of exercise, and when it s used as a means of travelling (e.g. by commuting to work, going to the supermarket, etc.) it is something which can fit relatively easily into a busy schedule, thereby getting around the I have no time argument in fact, in rush-hour traffic it can even save time (not to mention the fact that it s better for the environment than taking the car)!

But who wants to risk their life or risk serious injury by venturing out onto the roads with nothing more than a bell and plastic hat to protect you from the metal behemoths that fly by at 30 or more miles an hour, leaving barely a cat s whisker between? Personally I don t! (although I still do cycle the 3 miles to work and back every day because I just can t face 8 hours sitting at the office desk AND a sedentary commute).

As much as I find getting stuck behind a cyclist frustrating when I m driving, ultimately I think it s we, as drivers, who need to do more to help protect those people who are choosing to benefit their health, the environment and traffic congestion by getting on their bikes, and these are points I think every driver should consider:

1. You are bigger than them! If your car hits a cyclist, the vast majority of the time the worst that can happen to you is that your car gets a dent, whereas the cyclist is very likely to suffer from some form of injury possibly even a life-threatening one.

2. Cyclists need more room than they take up! The roads (especially near the curbs) are full of potholes, debris and other potential obstacles that might cause a cyclist to swerve or wobble if you don t leave them sufficient room as you pass, that small pothole that wouldn t even register to you in your car could cause the cyclist to crash right into you.

3. Not everyone is a world champion BMXer! Many people who choose to cycle regularly are pretty comfortable on a bike and can ride very skillfully, but that certainly isn t true of everyone, and those who are less confident on a bike might need a little more room on the road (even without potholes) than you re currently allowing them. Admittedly you could argue that if you can t ride a bike extremely well you shouldn t be out cycling on a road, but this brings me back to the earlier point that we are too sedentary we shouldn t discourage people from being physically active!

4. Not everyone is aware of the rules of the road! As I mentioned earlier, many cyclists are non-drivers (and this includes children) and may not be aware of the rules of the road (or how a driver thinks/observes). Sure, everyone cycling on a road SHOULD know the Highway Code but the truth is they don t. Is this your responsibility? Well, if the playing field were even I d say no , but given the potentially life-threatening consequences if you hit a cyclist, I kind of think it should be, at least to some extent.

In response to the cycling incidents mentioned earlier, a British Cycling spokesman was quoted as saying that cycle safety should be built into the design of all new roads, junctions and transport projects, rather than being an afterthought . I d add to that, that there should also be more education of cyclists about how to cycle safely on the roads, and possibly even some form of cycling licence . However, this kind of change takes time. In the meantime, all of us when driving should maybe try being a little more considerate of those fragile lives that travel on two wheels and stop treating them as an inanimate nuisance- they are all someone s child, parent, partner, or friend.

So, Don t Think Bike , think LIFE .

About the Author: John Hardy writes many articles and informative content when it comes to the health and fitness industry. Check out personal training courses, fitness courses, personal training in London, a website recommended by John, today. More Info Log on to

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