The number of bicycles on the street has grown tremendously in 2020 likely since people are afraid of contracting COVID on public transportation. The National Safety Transportation Administration (NSTA) reported 857 death of bicyclists in 2018. Obviously, cars must watch out for cyclists, but bicycle riders watch out for cars and pedestrians. I am a driver of a car and a pedestrian as well and have observed carelessness on the part of all. When I walk along a sidewalk I can see bicycles coming from the other direction, but can not even hear a bicycle behind me. On a few occasions a bike almost him me. Here are some guidelines from NSTA:
- Drive with the flow, in the same direction as traffic.
- Obey street signs, signals, and road markings, just like a car. - I rarely see cyclists stop for red lights
- Assume the other person doesn’t see you; look ahead for hazards or situations to avoid that may cause you to fall, like toys, pebbles, potholes, grates, train tracks. - Do cyclists look out for pedestrians on sidewalk?
- No texting, listening to music, or using anything that distracts you by taking your eyes and ears or your mind off the road and traffic. - When a cyclist is listening to music through headphones, he is essentially deaf to any other noise. I have also seen cyclists looking at their phones.
Let's hope that cyclist, pedestrians, and drivers use common sense.
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