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If you love cycling, then Houston, Texas, is your best city for it. The city has numerous interconnected bike lanes, lush scenery, and bike-friendly routes. All these make it a great place to cycle in.
However, bike safety is an important priority when it comes to cycling in Houston. Whether you are riding your bicycle on the street or using your bicycle on campus, you have to ensure you stay safe.
In Houston, there is a Code of Ordinances that direct and guide the riding of bicycles in the city. Bikers are to familiarize themselves with these bike laws to guarantee their safety while riding on the streets of Houston.
If you wonder how else you can maintain safety while on your bike in Houston, this article is for you. Getting involved in a bicycle accident could be a very traumatizing experience. For this reason, you need the services of a Houston bicycle accident attorney.
Riding a bike has many benefits, including excellent aerobic exercise, increased muscle strength, flexibility, strengthened bones, etc. Apart from the physical advantages, riding a bicycle is also a fun activity. If you want to enjoy your ride even more, you need to stay safe while riding.
Statistics show that bicycle accidents have increased in recent times. We would be discussing nine safety tips you can adopt to stay safe while cycling in Houston.
Wearing protective gear, like a helmet, is a must when riding a bicycle in Houston. It is known that wearing a helmet reduces the probability of serious head injuries like traumatic brain injury if an accident occurs..
When buying or selecting a helmet, you should wear one that fits the circumference of your head, not one that is bigger or smaller. Also, ensure you tighten the straps of the helmet to your chin till it fits. Helmets are designed to crack when there is an impact to protect your head. So, once the helmet is damaged in a crash, you cannot wear it again.
You might think that staying or riding on the sidewalks is a safe option, but it is not. In the U.S., anyone older than 13 years is not permitted to ride their bicycles on the sidewalks. This is because riding on sidewalks poses a danger to yourself and pedestrians.
Also, try to avoid narrow roads or single lanes. They are danger zones for people on bikes because other road users are trying to “squeeze” to make use of the narrow road. This could cause havoc for cyclists.
Suppose you have an appointment or classes on Houston college campuses. It is essential to leave your residence with ample time to spare. This would eliminate the need for you to speed while riding. Speeding is a leading cause of accidents on U.S. roads. So, if you cut down on your speed, you cut down the likelihood of getting hurt.
It would help if you also avoid distractions, such as speaking on the phone or texting. Maintaining eye contact with the roads would give you a quick reaction time should you need to make a sudden move, e.g., swerving or applying brakes. Also, never ride a bicycle with headphones or earpieces on.
You could decide to ride your bicycle in the evening or at night to enjoy the breeze. But before you do that, you must wear clothing that has high visibility. There have been too many instances when another vehicle hit a cyclist because they could not see them.
When you wear bright clothing when cycling in the night, and even during the day, an accident’s chances become less. If you happen to be wearing dark clothes, you can wear a high-visibility or high-vis jacket over your clothing.
Before you mount your bike, you have to ensure that it is a roadworthy bicycle. For example, it is advisable to ride a bike that is the appropriate size for your height. If you decide to ride a too big bicycle or too small for you, it could affect your riding and control of the bike.
Apart from checking for the bicycle’s size, it would be best if you also did the following:
It is your personal responsibility to learn traffic signals and laws governing Houston roads. For example, knowing when to stop, turn, or move, would reduce the possibility of a collision.
When you ride on Houston roads, you should “act like a vehicle.” This means that the traffic signals and rules that apply to other vehicles, like cars, also apply to bicycles. You are to learn these signals and adhere to them. One important traffic rule you must obey is: you must always stop when traffic lights are red, no matter how much you are in a hurry.
Riding with the flow of traffic means traveling in the same direction as the other vehicles on the road. Accidents are more likely to happen when a bicycle rider rides against traffic. When an accident like this happens, the cyclist is said to be at fault in the crash. You can also decide to use the dedicated bike lanes when you are riding.
One of the most common causes of road accidents is the weather. When rain or snow gets to road surfaces, they become wet and slippery. When this happens, it becomes a hazard to road users, especially bike riders.
If you want to avoid getting stranded in the rain or getting caught in black ice on the roads, you have to study the weather forecast for the day or week. Also, you can get extra protection, such as waterproof gear and sunscreen, to protect you from the weather.
In Houston, there is a law that states that bikers must have at least one hand on the handlebars all the time. However, having your two hands on your handlebars is advisable and safer.
When sending signals to vehicles behind you, you can remove one arm from the handlebars to indicate turning left or right. But you must always return your arm to the handlebars. So, whether you are riding on neighborhood streets or riding in the city, keeping both hands on the handlebars gives you a sense of balance.
Bicycle injuries have a way of changing the victim’s life, and we understand that. At Calhoun Meredith, Law Firm, our team strongly believes that our clients deserve justice, so we do everything possible to ensure justice is served.
We have the innovation and energy needed to win your personal injury case. We can help in proving fault and ensuring the person responsible for your injuries pay. You do not have to worry about paying upfront fees because you do not have to pay us if we do not win.
Our personal injury attorneys are available 24 hours, every day of the week. Just reach out to us today, and we would attend to whatever questions or inquiries you have.