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Please do me a quick favor?
Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I stop at every stop sign and red
light? Do I sometimes roll through them - especially toward the
end of my ride?
- Do I always point our obstacles, like
glass, gravel, water, car doors, cars coming out of parking lots
or coming up behind me?
- Do I let my mind wander and suddenly
realize that I've traveled quite some distance and don't remember
the specifics of how I got there?
- Do I always signal my intentions -
right turn, left turn, stopping? Do I call it out when I can't
use my arms?
- Do I always pass on the left? Even
at lights when we're riding really slow and close together, trying
to clip in and stuff?
I know that you know the
correct response to all of these questions. But what is the honest
response for you? I'm very serious about this when I say that
SAFETY IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. In order for us to keep you
as safe as possible, safety needs to be your number one priority,
too. So, please take a moment to read the following reminders:
- Please stop. Look left, right, left
and then go. Especially toward the end of your ride that day
- STOP. We all have a tendency to make lazy decisions when we
are tired and eager to get to the end. Please don't make the
mistake of rolling through a stop sign when you are tired - your
reaction time to an oncoming vehicle will not be fast enough.
- Watch out for your fellow riders.
Point out hazards on your route - even if you think they are
obvious. It's a nice thing to do, and you may just save someone
from an accident.
- Stay alert, stay alive. Keep your
focus while you ride. If you don't pay attention to your environment,
you may miss important details like cars, potholes, car doors.
It only takes a split second for new information to present itself
to you. Stay alert, stay alive!
- Be predictable. It's not fun almost
running into the back of the rider in front of you. It's also
impossible for cars to read your mind. Let the moving vehicles
(cars and bikes) know your next move so they can stay out of
your way.
- Never pass on the right. Just don't
do it - under any circumstances. As an rider, you learn to count
on this. Don't break this rule. In addition, always call out,
"On your left!" before you pass and leave plenty of
room between you and the rider. Be sure to look back and check
for traffic before you pass - we do not want you to become a
hood ornament. I have a particular interest in your safety. You've
come so far for it to be ruined by an injury or worse. Please
ride safely!
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