Handy Ways To Not Be Injured Safely On A Bike

We all know that city biking is a rewarding and wonderful way to get around, not to mention that in many cases it is also faster than other modes of public transportation (*cough* the green line *cough*). It is also, however, a dangerous undertaking. Here are some tips to stay safe on your bike this summer and throughout the school year.

1. BUY A HELMET. Riding without a helmet is so dangerous, you guys. Musicians need our heads (and faces, and brains) so protect them with a GOOD, HIGH-QUALITY helmet. Don't buy a used helmet; cracks can be invisible but significantly impact the quality of the helmet.

Where to buy a helmet? Here, here, or here. How to buy a helmet? By exchanging money for goods and services. Why should you spend money on a good helmet? Because of the brain thing previously mentioned. Will you look like a dork in your helmet? No.

The following picture illustrates how good you will look in your helmet:

2. Keep a constant eye on the right. If you bike in the bike lanes (WHICH YOU SHOULD) you will notice that cars, busses, and other sundry traffic pass through the bike lane. One particular hazard is opening car doors, as shown below:

3. Ride at the same speed as traffic. If you are riding faster than traffic, there is a chance that a car could miss you, cut over quickly, and cause an accident. As tempting as it is, don't speed past the poor, unfortunate cars stuck in traffic.

NO.

4. DO obey all traffic signs, lights, and signals. Bicycles are moving vehicles on the road and are therefore subject to all the same regulations and rules as cars. This also means that you can act all snooty when people tell you that you should bike on the sidewalk. Which you shouldn't.

Also, police have been pulling people over for riding unsafely. So, you don't even wanna mess with that.

5. Get a bike light! Ideally, these lights should be able to be solid or flashing, and white for the front of your bike with red on the back.

May your bike light reflect your own personal radiance.

The reason for the bike light is two-fold: first, you need to see at night. Sometimes streets are dark and you don't want to ride over (or into) something unpleasant. Second, cars need to see YOU. A light goes a long way toward preventing this:

Obviously this is just a basic guide for biking in Boston. For more information, or to get involved with bike activism in Boston, you can visit the Boston Cyclists Union, where you can sign a petition for protected bikeways on Commonwealth Ave., sign up to volunteer, and take a class on things like winterizing your bike.

Just remember, even though riding a bike is awesome, taking proper safety measures makes us EVEN COOLER. What do you do to stay safe on the roads?