Raleigh Bike, Owner'S Manual, Page: 7 / 44

7
2. SAFETY
A. The Basics
WARNING: t
he area in whiCh you ride may require speCifiC safety deviCes
. i
t is your responsibility to
familiarize yourself with the laws of the area where you ride and to Comply with all appliCable laws
,
inCluding properly equipping yourself and your bike as the law requires
.
o
bserve all loCal biCyCle laws and regulations
. o
bserve regulations about biCyCle lighting
,
liCensing of
biCyCles
,
riding on sidewalks
,
laws regulating bike path and trail use
,
helmet laws
,
Child Carrier laws
,
speCial biCyCle traffiC laws
,
and so on
. i
t
’
s your responsibility to know and obey the laws
. r
eview
a
ppendix
f
for basiC safety rules while biCyCling in traffiC
.
An important note to parents: Appendix E of this Manual contains some rules and lessons
which adults are already expected to know, but which children need to be taught and to have
frequently reinforced. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with Appendix E as well as
with the information below, and to teach these rules to your child before you let your child
ride unsupervised.
1. Always wear a cycling helmet which meets the latest certification standards and is
appropriate for the type of riding you do. Always follow the helmet manufacturer’s
instructions for fit, use and care of your helmet. Most serious bicycle injuries
involve head injuries which might have been avoided if the rider had worn an
appropriate helmet.
WARNING: f
ailure to wear a helmet when riding may result in serious injury or death
.
2. Always do the Mechanical Safety Check (Section 1.C) before you get on a bike.
3. Be thoroughly familiar with the controls of your bicycle: brakes (Section 4.C.); pedals (Section
4.E.); shifting (Section 4.D.)
4. Be careful to keep body parts and other objects away from the sharp teeth of chainrings, the
moving chain, the turning pedals and cranks, and the spinning wheels of your bicycle.
5. Always wear:
• Shoes that will stay on your feet and will grip the pedals. Make sure that shoe laces cannot
get into moving parts, and never ride barefoot or in sandals.
• Bright, visible clothing that is not so loose that it can be tangled in the bicycle or snagged by
objects at the side of the road or trail.
• Protective eyewear, to protect against airborne dirt, dust and bugs — tinted when the sun is
bright, clear when it’s not.
6. Don’t jump with your bike. Jumping a bike, particularly a BMX or mountain bike, can be fun; but
it can put huge and unpredictable stress on the bicycle and its components. Riders who insist on
jumping their bikes risk serious damage, to their bicycles as well as to themselves. Before you
attempt to jump, do stunt riding or race with your bike, read and understand Section 2.F.
7. Ride at a speed appropriate for conditions. Increased speed means higher risk.
Fig.1