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3. Ride defensively. Assume that the people with whom you are
sharing the road are so absorbed with what they are doing and
where they are going that they are oblivious to you.
4. Look ahead of where you're going, and be ready to avoid:
• Vehicles slowing or turning in front of you, entering the road, or your
lane ahead of you, or coming up behind you.
• Parked car doors opening in front of you.
• Pedestrians stepping out in front of you.
• Children playing near the road.
• Pot holes, sewer grating, railway tracks, expansion joints, road or
pavement construction, debris and other obstructions that could
cause you to swerve into traffic, catch your wheel or otherwise cause
you to lose control and have an accident.
• The many other hazards and distractions which can occur on a
bicycle ride.
5. Ride in designated bike lanes, on designated bike paths or on the
right side of the road, in the same direction as car traffic and as close
to the edge of the road as possible.
6. Stop at stop signs and traffic lights; slow down and look both ways
at street intersections. Remember that a bicycle always loses in a
collision with a motor vehicle, so be prepared to yield even if you
have the right of way.
7. Use hand signals for turning and stopping. Learn the local vehicle
code for the correct signals.
8. Never ride with headphones. They mask traffic sounds and
emergency vehicle sirens, distract you from concentrating on what's
going on around you, and their wires can tangle in the moving parts
of the bicycle, causing you to lose control.
9. Never carry a passenger, unless it is a small child wearing an
approved helmet and secured in a correctly mounted child carrier.
10. Never carry anything that obstructs your vision or your complete
control of the bicycle, or which could become entangled in the
moving parts of the bicycle.
11. Never hitch a ride by holding on to another vehicle.
12. Don't do stunts, wheelies or jumps. They can cause you injury
and damage your bike.
13. Don't weave through traffic or make any moves that may surprise
people with whom you are sharing the road.
14. Observe and yield the right of way.
15. Never ride your bicycle while under the influence of alcohol or
drugs.
16. If possible, avoid riding in bad weather, when visibility is
obscured, at dusk or in the dark, or when extremely tired. Each of
these conditions increases the risk of accident.
