Cycling on the Road

Bike riding is one of the most popular ways to exercise around the world. While riding a bike may be a great way to stay healthy and have some fun there are some potential risks. One of the biggest known risks is gaining a head injury from falling from a bike without a helmet on. While head injuries from a fall may be well known there are other potential risks on the roadway that are not. With so many potential risks unforeseen by cyclists new and seasoned, there should be improved safety for bicyclists.

You could argue that bicyclists have plenty of knowledge, other roadways and laws to stay safe from other vehicles on the road. Large vehicles are the dominant culture on the roadway and there is not a lot of protection for a bicyclist even with keen roadway and vehicle safety knowledge. Bicyclists also have an increasing death percentage. Not only do they have to ride with limited protection from other vehicles, along with worrying about the rising death rates; bicyclists also have to watch out for potential harassment from road rage ridden drivers.

There needs to be an action taken to inform bicyclists and all others on the roadway of proper roadway equitique.

States have set laws in place to keep drivers safe while driving and they also have laws to keep bicyclists safe. There is also an abundance of bicycle safety courses and designated bike paths within most states. With this knowledge you could argue that because there are already laws, safety courses to gain knowledge from and designated bike paths that bicyclists are safe enough on roadways.

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Therefore making more laws to protect bicyclists will limit cars and other vehicles access to the road. It may seem like most bicyclists are out on a leisurely ride but it is stated in “National Bike Month” produced by the United States Census Bureau that “ In 2015… nearly 900,000 workers in the United States rode a bicycle to work, up from about 730,000 in 2010 and 620,000 in 2006” (2017).

This data proves that most people using the roadways to bike are using them to get to work or get other important destinations. Therefore the argument that bicyclists limit others access to the roadway is invaild. Bicyclists may have strong knowledge of roadway safety and laws to protect them but they still do not feel completely protected. In Ariel Climer’s article “Riding to Resist: L.A. Bicyclists Brave Death to Empower Communities” it is stated that “Though the risks remain…the cycling community continues to fight to expand its rights and develop new laws that protect it.” (172). Climer is stating that the bicyclists culture is having to fight for their spot on the road and to stay safe. Showing that bicyclists do not feel safe on the roadways. This information proves that there are still risks that need to be addressed. Therefore new laws are going to need to be made and passed to protect bicyclists.

Bicyclists have to fight the dominant road culture for safety and access to the road everyday. It is simply stated in Climers article “Our family rides against traffic and the dominant culture” (170). Family is being referred to as bicyclist’s and their culture in this statement. Being harassed by people in cars to go faster or get out of the way/off the main road is a big problem for bicyclists. It is also stated in the article “Selling Biking: Perceived Safety, The Barrier That Still Matters” that “When asked to rate the amount at which they were “concerned about safety when cycling in your city” on a scale of 1 to 5, three-quarters of such riders said they were either “very concerned” or “extremely concerned.” (Anderson). These statistics also prove that bicyclists do not feel safe; when they should be able to feel comfortable on any road way. As a result of theses concerns there should be updated and more laws protecting bicyclists.

Another reason to improve bicyclist safety is the rise in bike riding related deaths. In the article “Riding to Resist: L.A. Bicyclists Brave Death to Empower Communities” it is stated that “ The blog Biking in LA keeps a saddening record of the cycling death statistics, reporting 89 deaths in Southern California in 2013 — and an increase in L.A. County bicycling deaths by 54 percent this year alone.” (Climer). The IIHS HLDI writes in “Fatility Facts 2018: Bicyclists” that “ Sixty-three percent of bicyclist deaths in 2018 occurred on major roads other than interstates and freeways, and 29 percent occurred on minor roads” (2018). These quotes show that there is a rise in bicycle related deaths and something needs to be done. Bicyclists should not have to worry about getting hit by a car while enjoying their ride. Safety for bicyclists is something that needs to be taken more seriously.

Lastly bicyclists have to deal with harassment from others on the road. The article by Climer states “ Bike advocates have also helped bring about the city’s Anti-Harassment ordinance, which the L.A. Times explains “makes it a crime for drivers to threaten cyclists verbally or physically,” as well as allows cyclists to take drivers to civil court — the first ordinance of its kind in the country” (Climer). This quote shows there has been something done about bicyclists being harassed in L.A. but this is the first of its kind meaning harassment exists and is far from no longer being an issue for bicyclists. As stated by Dugan and associates (2018) in How To Drive Safely Around Cyclists something as little as honking or at a cyclist can cause them to lose control and wreck or fall into the roadway. With this information it is easy to see why harrassment big or small to bicyclist can be life threatening. Harassment may seem like a small offense but it plays a big role in bicyclists safety and there needs to be more laws to address this issue.

As you can see even though bike riding may be one of the most popular ways to exercise and travel there are some dangers. Being an avid bicyclists is no cakewalk and comes with a lot of stress and needing to be aware of your surroundings. There are plenty of safety issues such as fighting dominate road culture, rising death rates, and harassment. Theses safety hazards have become a big issue for bicyclists. Issues bicyclists should not have to be concerned about or plan their rides around. Bicyclists should be able to enjoy their ride without having to worry. To that end being able to overcome some of the dangerous road habits of drivers is a way to help improve bicyclist safety; Along with creating and passing more safety laws to protect bicyclists.