“Clearly, somebody in this room murdered Lord Smythe.”
www.dothetest.co.uk
safety
22/01/2009
About that helmet
This picture took up most of the front page in today’s newspaper. You can usually pick me out from a group of cyclists because I am the one wearing the full-face helmet. Comments I get from other cyclists are mostly positive. But somebody, somewhere is always telling me that I must be really scared to be wearing that helmet—before proceeding to relive their own personal experience of a serious accident and everything that went wrong with the subsequent treatment of their injuries.
royalgazette.com
In other news this week, current World Downhill Champion Rachel Atherton was involved in a head-on collision with a car.
05/10/2008
The spectral memorials that haunt our roads
“It would be unfortunate if the proliferation of ghost bikes frightened off nervous waverers, because there is quite a lot of evidence that the more cyclists there are, the safer cycling becomes. But if white bikes grab the attention of motorists, give them pause and remind them to take care, they will mark the past and help safeguard the future.” Geraldine Bedell reports on the phenomenon of the white bike reaching the UK.
www.guardian.co.uk
23/09/2008
Street smarts
“The only things that will keep you alive in traffic are your skills, your awareness of your environment, and always having a tremendous respect for the danger involved.” Richard Katz outlines his approach to riding in traffic.
www.urbanvelo.org
17/01/2008
Riding advice for urban cyclists
“Understand the principles and then apply them to develop a style that suits your needs and personality.” Read Patrick Field’s excellent guide to riding in traffic.
www.leedscyclists.org.uk
12/05/2007
News from Tester Tim—aka Tim ‘Fingers’
“Just a quick piece of advice for you fellow bikers. Be careful when your messing with disc brakes, even if you have done it 100’s of times like me. I now have 9.8 digits!”
www.on-one.co.uk
21/12/2006
Bicycle crash statistics
“Contrary to intuition, cyclists riding on bicycle paths have a higher crash rate than cyclists riding on roads, although not as high a crash rate as cyclists riding on sidewalks.” The Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition looks at crash data for cyclists and reaches valuable and often surprising conclusions.
www.massbike.org
21/08/2006
The door zone project
“Many cyclists make the mistake of riding too close to parked cars. This is extremely dangerous. Many cyclists have been seriously injured or even killed because they were riding in the door zone.” On her bike, Riin Gill never gets closer than 1.5 m.
www.riinsrants.info
30/06/2006
Road positioning
“Cyclists are being told that road positioning is a critical part of riding safely—but are there any rules, or does it require some kind of two-wheeled sixth sense that you can only gain from experience?” Richard Peace answers some of the most commonly asked questions.
www.bikeradar.com
03/12/2005
Danger? What danger?
“But what I hear all the time from people is that they would ride a bike but don’t because they feel it’s too dangerous. I completely sympathise, but, of course, I disagree.” Matt Seaton compares cycling in traffic to a peculiar kind of ballet on wheels.
www.guardian.co.uk
21/11/2004
How to not get hit by cars
“Wearing a helmet will do absolutely nothing to prevent you from getting hit by a car.” Only a small proportion of accidents involve the collison with a motor vehicle, yet they account for the vast majority of fatalities among cyclists. Michael Bluejay explains how to avoid getting hit.
www.bicyclesafe.com
07/11/2004
Bicycle helmet safety institute
The Washington Area Bicyclist Association provides information on buying a helmet and fitting it properly. There also is a long list of product reviews to help with your choices.
www.helmets.org
15/10/2004
Day after the crash
Yesterday evening I had a massive accident with my bicycle. A car pulled out in front of me and I crashed into it at about 40 km/h. I went over the car like a torpedo and then hit the ground face first. Any injuries, however, are confined to my right shoulder.