Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Travel Bicycles & the Safety Precautions to Accompany Them

By Rob Sutter


Unless you're Alec Baldwin, chances are that you have a basic understanding of what the rules for travel bicycles entail. An article shown on the NY Daily News website talked about how the "30 Rock" was riding about without a helmet on his head. In a move that did nothing for him as far as reputation goes, he was seen talking on his cellphone during the ride. It's clear that Baldwin could have gotten into accident and that there are ways to prevent this from occurring to you.

1. Always make sure that you take a moment to survey your surroundings. This is especially true if you have to transition from one side of the road to the next; make sure that you check your blind spot. You never know what may come up behind you and this means that it's important to keep a close watch on the spot you couldn't very well see unless you looked. This is helpful in making sure that you stay safe, and that drivers and other cyclists remain steady as well.

2. Safety gear is important, especially if you're going about long, strenuous rides on travel bicycles. The one aspect which Baldwin seemed to have forgotten was that you have to be able to dress yourself for trips, especially if you're going to be riding in New York City. You never know what kinds of hazards could be present and you want to prepare yourself. Wearing helmets, elbow pads, or what have you are tips suggested by companies on the matter like Linus Bike.

3. If you have a cell phone, keep it tucked away until you're away from the vehicle. This seems to be an issue more connected to phones than bikes but I've seen many people disregard this simple rule on the latter. We all know just how rude an action like this is but what about the actual safety violations? Your focus is not entirely on the road at this point and it means that there's a greater chance of you being caught in an accident that could have been avoided.

I think the worst part about this story is that Baldwin wasn't reprimanded by a police officer, which is surprising considering how dense the area is. New York City is full of people and I find it difficult to believe that not even one person on duty caught sight of the well-known actor taking his life into his hands on the road. This doesn't mean that you should take the same risk. Travel bicycles should be operated well and this means that an understanding of the rules must be had.




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