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Review My View on Bike Safety?
I've posted a new page at www.bikewebsite.com on bicycle safety. Since this
is a rather important issue, I'd like to ask you, the general public, to look it over, and let me know if I've said anything stupid, etc. It's at www.bikewebsite.com/tyranny.htm Thanks, - Jeff |
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Review My View on Bike Safety?
Jeff Napier wrote:
I've posted a new page at www.bikewebsite.com on bicycle safety. Since this is a rather important issue, I'd like to ask you, the general public, to look it over, and let me know if I've said anything stupid, etc. It's at www.bikewebsite.com/tyranny.htm I think your "Don't ride at night" message is a bit extreme. During the winter months (basically, when DST isn't in effect), it gets dark pretty early, and riding for transportation purposes means riding at night at least some of the time. But that's what lights are for. In addition to the reflectors and blinking lights that you mention, nighttime cyclists also need headlights. How much headlight you need depends on your route. Any bicycle headlight will let others see you, and identify you as a vehicle. But the cheap ones are good only for that, and don't provide enough light to ride on unlit streets. The distance you can see clearly is what limits (or what should limit) your speed. Actually, that applies to daytime riding too. The worst bicycle accident I've personally been familiar with was a daytime bicycle-bicycle head-on collision in college, where two cyclists riding full-speed came around a blind corner in opposite directions. -- Darin McGrew, , http://www.rahul.net/mcgrew/ Web Design Group, , http://www.HTMLHelp.com/ "The handwriting on the wall may mean you need a notepad by the phone." |
#3
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Review My View on Bike Safety?
Darin McGrew wrote:
Actually, that applies to daytime riding too. The worst bicycle accident I've personally been familiar with was a daytime bicycle-bicycle head-on collision in college, where two cyclists riding full-speed came around a blind corner in opposite directions. A friend of mine totalled his first nice bike that way. One way street, he was going the correct way. His downtube was crimped, her thick steel pipe frame survived. Three years later, I almost had a head-on with a Cadillac in early daylight on the same street. Mitch. |
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Review My View on Bike Safety?
About reflectors: When state law specifically calls for a red rear
reflector, it means just that. I don't believe red reflective tape is an adequate substitute. Besides, the tape and the CPSC specification reflectors are comparatively dim when illuminated by motor vehicle headlights. A DOT specification reflector is much brighter. A reflector lets you meet the letter of the law, though to be honest, some white reflective tape applied to the front and rear of the crank arms instantly identify the vehicle up ahead as a bicycle. -- alan Anyone who believes in a liberal media has never read the "Daily Oklahoman." "Jeff Napier" wrote in message news:FUwOc.186730$IQ4.18790@attbi_s02... I've posted a new page at www.bikewebsite.com on bicycle safety. Since this is a rather important issue, I'd like to ask you, the general public, to look it over, and let me know if I've said anything stupid, etc. It's at www.bikewebsite.com/tyranny.htm Thanks, - Jeff |
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Review My View on Bike Safety?
I find interesting "The Consumer Product Safety Commission rates
bicycles as among the most dangerous products in the home." Well, people shouldn't be riding their bicycles in the home. I wonder where they rank automobiles, or don't they consider them as "products in the home? Many more people are killed and injured in automobiles or as a result of automobiles than by any other product. It makes me think that the CPSC considers bicycles to be toys and not a transportation vehicle. Colin "Jeff Napier" wrote in message news:FUwOc.186730$IQ4.18790@attbi_s02... I've posted a new page at www.bikewebsite.com on bicycle safety. Since this is a rather important issue, I'd like to ask you, the general public, to look it over, and let me know if I've said anything stupid, etc. It's at www.bikewebsite.com/tyranny.htm Thanks, - Jeff |
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Review My View on Bike Safety?
Hi Folks,
Thanks for your comments and keep them coming. Yes, I think my comment about simply not riding at night is too harsh. After all, bicycles are a great tool for commuting, and people do want to get out and around at night. So I will figure out a way to revise that. The other side of it is that even if a bicycle is more visible at night than in the daytime, the motorists may be more messed up on average - ranging from sleepy or emontional to chemically impaired. As to reflective tape vs reflectors, I really haven't seen any statistics, but have you ever seen a bike with reflective tape at night? It really is noticeable! I think there's a good chance that well-applied reflective tape could be more reflective than standard reflectors. - Jeff All about bikes: www.bikewebsite.com "Jeff Napier" wrote in message news:FUwOc.186730$IQ4.18790@attbi_s02... I've posted a new page at www.bikewebsite.com on bicycle safety. Since this is a rather important issue, I'd like to ask you, the general public, to look it over, and let me know if I've said anything stupid, etc. It's at www.bikewebsite.com/tyranny.htm Thanks, - Jeff |
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Review My View on Bike Safety?
You wrote 'tranny' as a pop-up? Why in the world? Do you imagine that
you're the first to consider bike safety. There are many older and wiser heads than yours. 'Tranny' didn't make it past my security suite. "Jeff Napier" wrote in message news:Lx_Oc.61256$8_6.38140@attbi_s04... | Hi Folks, | Thanks for your comments and keep them coming. Yes, I think my comment | about simply not riding at night is too harsh. After all, bicycles are a | great tool for commuting, and people do want to get out and around at night. | So I will figure out a way to revise that. The other side of it is that even | if a bicycle is more visible at night than in the daytime, the motorists may | be more messed up on average - ranging from sleepy or emontional to | chemically impaired. As to reflective tape vs reflectors, I really haven't | seen any statistics, but have you ever seen a bike with reflective tape at | night? It really is noticeable! I think there's a good chance that | well-applied reflective tape could be more reflective than standard | reflectors. | - Jeff | All about bikes: www.bikewebsite.com | | | "Jeff Napier" wrote in message | news:FUwOc.186730$IQ4.18790@attbi_s02... | I've posted a new page at www.bikewebsite.com on bicycle safety. Since | this | is a rather important issue, I'd like to ask you, the general public, to | look it over, and let me know if I've said anything stupid, etc. It's at | www.bikewebsite.com/tyranny.htm | Thanks, | - Jeff | | | | |
#9
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Review My View on Bike Safety?
.... stuff deleted
Jeff wrote: The other side of it is that even if a bicycle is more visible at night than in the daytime, the motorists may be more messed up on average - ranging from sleepy or emontional to chemically impaired. IMO, there is really very little difference between a drunk driver and a driver on a cell phone. I've seen both at all times of day, and the percentages of thsee drviers don't seem to change with the clock. Those who drink at night are often very seriously impaired during the day, especially the mornings. Those that use other drugs, seem to do so without much consideration of the time of day. I've seen many of my coworkers nonfunctional long before 10 AM. The worst driving I routinely see is that of parents dropping their offspring off at schools. For this reason, I do avoid that time of day. Riding at night, with adequate lighting, is a real pleasure, most of the time, due to the ease of temperature regulation. Traffic problems seem to be, IMO, less of a problem at night many drivers are much more cautious. As to reflective tape vs reflectors, I really haven't seen any statistics, but have you ever seen a bike with reflective tape at night? It really is noticeable! I think there's a good chance that well-applied reflective tape could be more reflective than standard reflectors. - Jeff I have no reflectors on my bike. It didn't even come with them. If it had, I would have removed them. They serve, IMO, little to no purpose. Side relfectors work only when you are perpendicular to the front end of a car. This is worse than useless as in an emergency situation, it is already too late. The rear reflector is, generally, too far to the right of the oncoming traffic to be much use, though pedal reflectors work surprisingly well (not that I have those). The answer is lights, lights, lights. I put one on the helmet (the head is a great location for a light, though the helmet is probably useless otherwise). I also put one on the rear of the bike in place of the reflector. Reflective tape may be very effective, but I'm not going to invest effort into same. Rick |
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Thus said "Colin B." :
I find interesting "The Consumer Product Safety Commission rates bicycles as among the most dangerous products in the home." Well, people shouldn't be riding their bicycles in the home. I wonder where they rank automobiles, or don't they consider them as "products in the home? Many more people are killed and injured in automobiles or as a result of automobiles than by any other product. I suspect that they actually mean "among the products regulated by the CPSC, there are more deaths and/or injuries involving bicycles than any other product." Most motor vehicles, drugs, chemicals, guns, etc. are regulated by other agencies. I also suspect that they are ranking based on number of injuries, rather than the injury rate. But I'll grant them that a bicycle is likely more dangerous than most other CPSC-regulated items, like an ice cream scoop or a pillow (both items discussed on their website.) Therefore, in order to be safe, I'm going to stop riding this weekend and will instead eat lots of ice cream and take a nap. It makes me think that the CPSC considers bicycles to be toys and not a transportation vehicle. Yup. |
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