Safe Riding in Traffic

The following is a post written by Mike Monk, also known as the Bama Cyclist, back in 2011. Mike was our tour leader for my 2013 cross-country tour. He has lead many tours for America By Bicycle all over the country and has crossed the country on bike, many, many, many times. I learned a lot from him and asked his permission to post some of his advice regarding safe cycling.

Sometimes, I think in our rush to get a PR or stay ahead of the guy behind us, we often forget these simple safety rules when riding in traffic.

Mike Monk On Riding in Traffic

Some hazards we face as cyclists are just part of the environment and beyond our control...pot holes, bad angle RR tracks, broken pavement, slick manhole covers, loose gravel, blind corners, loose dogs or other wildlife and sun glare in the late afternoon just to name a few.  Beyond these "natural" hazards we deal with everyday, there are also countless situations with the potential to be hazardous to our safety that we can control. Unfortunately, many cyclists have riding habits that relinquish that control and defer the responsibility to someone else. 

A common example is how we control our safety environment when we encounter stopped traffic at traffic controlled intersections.  When you approach a line of cars waiting at a stop light, do you ride up the right side of all the cars and continue through the intersection in disregard for the light or sign?  Do you weave in between the cars working your way up to the intersection and then go your merry way?  Do you ride up the right side and stop at the light until the control changes?  Or do you get in line with the traffic and wait until the traffic starts to move?

I hope we can all agree the first two of these scenarios as unacceptable in any situation, the third is maybe OK in SOME situations, and the last WORKS IN ALL situations.  By getting in line with the traffic, you give motorists notice that you are a law abiding vehicle that has a place in traffic, you position yourself in a place where you can be seen, and you won't get pinched against the curb or run over by being in the motorist's blind spot.  Now let's discuss the situational one.

Any time you approach a vehicle on the right side, you may be the only one that is aware you are there.  You have just created a situation where you have relinquished control of your safety to someone else. Critical members involved in your safety are not aware of the environment...and YOU are the one who is most vulnerable (even more critical considering all the other distractions the driver is dealing with...like talking on their cell phone and items on the edge of the roadway like the photo above left).

I know of at least 5 people who have been killed by doing this seemingly harmless maneuver.  They pulled up beside a vehicle on the "blind" side and the vehicle turned right and ran over them or just pulled forward with a slight swerve to the right catching the cyclist in a mirror, bumper, or wide trailer.  All of these tragic accidents could have been avoided had the cyclists not placed themselves in the motorist's blind spot...they gave up control of their environment/safety.

The situation I'm most referring to is when there is no dedicated cycling or shoulder to the right of the traffic.  If there is a bike lane or shoulder and you decide to approach the intersection on the right of a line of traffic as in the third situation mentioned above, you should still approach on the right with extreme caution and never stop in a vehicle's blind spot.  Even then, it's not the smartest thing to pull up beside the front car who may still be thinking about a last minute right turn and not see you.

With no dedicated lane for cyclists, the safest place, and in my view the most responsible place to be when the traffic stops, is to be in line with the traffic about 1/2 or 1/3 into the lane from the right...in front of someone's windshield and right behind the vehicle in front of you.  If you can't see the eyes of the motorist in front of you in his rearview mirror, you are not where he or she can see you.  As soon as the traffic starts to move faster than you can maintain, then pull to the right the appropriate distance from the road edge and be part of the traffic flow.

One other consideration if you have to squeeze in between the shoulder and the cars to move to the front, cars that have already had to pass you on a narrow lane will have to work their way around you again.  You may find they won't give you as much room the second or third time they have to pass you.

Assuming that adhering to traffic laws is a given, one of the most important safety habits you can have is to be visible.  That's more than just wearing bright colored clothing...you have to be positioned where you are visible in your environment.  That means not ever riding or placing yourself in a blind spot of a motorist.