Stay Safe while Spinning Around the City

By Yehudit Garmaise

Bicycling is one of the most convenient ways to get around the city and move those muscles: all while saving on gas.

New Yorkers who like to zoom down the streets on their bicycles, however, need to take precautions for their safety.

In the first quarter of 2022 traffic deaths in NYC spiked by a whopping 44% in the first quarter of 2022, according to a report from Transportation Alternatives.

Because cyclists share NYC streets with a wide range of drivers who do not always obey their own rules of the road, provided are some precautions for everyone who likes to pedal to stay safe.

1. Check your equipment: Before setting on a ride in the sun, bicyclists should take care to adjust their seats to their proper heights before ensuring that seats are locked in place. Make sure all parts are secure and working. Check that the tires are inflated properly. Make sure the bike is equipped with reflectors. A horn or bell, a rearview mirror and a bright headlight also are crucial for bikers to make themselves seen and heard to others.

2. Wear reflective material: Drivers are distracted and have a lot of visual information surrounding them. Wearing neon, fluorescent, or other bright clothing can help drivers to see you. Riding at night is not recommended, but if you do: reflective clothing and flashing lights are musts.

3. Wear a helmet that fits properly: regardless of the length of your rides. Both children and adults should ensure that their helmets are certified by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. 

4. Bicyclists must follow the same Rules of Road as motorists: When riding in groups, cyclists must ride in single-file lines that follow the direction of traffic. Bikers must adhere to the traffic lights. Bikers should remain alert, keep their heads up, and look around when they can to watch for opening car doors and other hazards. Proper hand signals when turning help drivers to see where cyclists are headed. Before entering any lanes of traffic and intersections, bicyclists should stop and look left, right, left again, and then over their shoulders.

5. Stay off sidewalks: on which pedestrians walk and uneven pavement which can prove hazardous. Try to ride on dedicated bike lanes, which provide the most protected, safest places on which to pedal for fun and transportation.