Commuter Cyclist Stays Safe In A "Most Ridiculous" Way: Bicycle Safety LED Blinking Lights
Sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, May is National Bike Month and May 13-17 is officially Bike To Work Week. Bicycling provides many positive benefits, including:
- Pure enjoyment of being outdoors
- Good exercise
- Save money on gas, wear and tear on the car
- Emotional sanity from not having to sit in traffic
- Cleaner environment
So why aren’t more people jumping on their bikes every morning? Fear of being hit by a careless or ruthless driver is probably the number one factor. Many bicycle safety programs like “Share the Road” and “Bikes Belong” have done tremendous work to bring more awareness for cyclists’ rights to bike in a safe environment. Cities across the U.S. are taking measures to both widen bike lanes, develop legislation protection for cyclists, put up barriers between motorists and cyclists, and much more.
Commuter cyclists’ have continued to ride to and from work, in spite of the safety challenges. In Massachusetts, Amanda King of Somerville commutes to and from work three times a week in the summer, 32 miles roundtrip. She describes her method for making sure motorists always see her:
“When I first started biking, I thought, how can I possibly bike on the road — I’m going to get killed,” she said. “Now, I’m not as worried about it, but that doesn’t mean I’m not very wise to the dangers.”
When it comes to safety, King rides her bike wearing a helmet and fluorescent-colored vest. She mounts blinking lights on her helmet and the front and back of her bike. She “signals like a lunatic” to drivers, never runs red lights and stays as far to the right as possible, she said.
“I wear the most ridiculous outfit,” King said. “You couldn’t find more flashing lights.”
She understands that making herself noticeable in a “most ridiculous” way is her key to safety on the streets. BikeNSafetyPromos distributes only the best bike safety promotional items!
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