There are
many ways a cyclist can improve his or her safety out on those shark-infested
roads. In recent years, one of my
mantras has become: HLM: Helmet, Lights,
Mirror.
The
research and literature about bicycle helmets is extensive, confusing and often
misleading. In my opinion, the argument for the use of bicycle helmets by
everybody and at all times is wholly compelling. End of story. Back in the mid-80s I wrote an
article for the CCC newsletter entitled “Heads
You Win – if you still have one” so I was preaching helmet-lore way back
then. More objectively, a controlled study of the effectiveness of bicycle
helmets published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that: bicycle safety helmets are highly effective
in preventing head injury and are equally important for adults and children.
This is one of many pro-helmet articles in the medical literature. Google all
the oceans of data if you will but rest assured, they do work. All the ballyhoo about helmets promoting
recklessness or decreasing the number of cyclists out on the roads is just that
.…. smoke and mirrors. Nearly all helmets on the market in the US pass the minimum
legal safety criteria so in my case I usually shop on price and color .…. it has
to be blue.
I was a
late convert to the use of day-time lights, especially a bright strobe on the
front. I am truly astonished as to how
visible a cyclist is who has good lights. The bike and the rider can be almost
invisible in the shadows but the light keeps blinking away with a range of ¼
mile or more. Motorists can no longer
say “Oh I am sorry, I did not see you”. The advances in lighting technology are
remarkable. Rechargeable, highly-efficient lights are now fairly inexpensive to
buy and run. No excuses. I use a
Cigolite Metro 400/Hotshot 2W combo set for about $70 http://www.cygolite.com/products/index.html
but you can get perfectly good ones for much less. You can also buy extra mounting brackets if
you want to use them on more than one bike.
Mirrors are
also invaluable. Not only can you see rear-approaching traffic but you can also
keep track of your riding buddies (if you are ahead!). The argument against mirrors is that a rider
might be less inclined to communicate with drivers by looking backwards before
making a maneuver so it is important to keep this in mind and always signal
your intent. Mirrors are usually mounted on the helmet, glasses or handlebars.
The one I use is the Safe Zone http://www.efficientvelo.com/safezone/ Advantages: Built like a tank and should last
forever, easily adjustable, large mirror surface. Disadvantages: looks like a
tank, twice the cost of many others.
