Commuting by bicycle in Dublin is getting more dangerous by the day, so we thought we would share some tips to keep you safe on your bike.
We’ve put together some handy tips around cycling safely in Dublin, London or any big city. How to be as safe as you can be and to prepare for what can happen unexpectedly when commuting, training or just cruising on two wheels.
Tips on road cycling safety:
1. Huge blind spot for trucks
The photo above shows the huge blind spot that truck drivers have when bikes, pedestrians or anyone else is beside them so it’s worth remembering to try to stay either clear in front or behind any HGV that you’re sharing the road with.
2. Car pulling out from a side street – what to do?
One of the most common ways to get hit (which happened to me) is a car or other vehicle pulling out from a side street as you cycle along any route. In my case, I was straight in front of the car so can only assume the driver was looking to see what traffic was approaching and not what was right in front of him. One broken arm later, I think we both learned lessons.
5 Ways to Revitalise your Bike
There are a few ways to try to prevent this kind of accident. First, wear a bright front headlight in the dark, or even when it’s bright, so the driver is alerted to the flashing light. It can be handy to wave to the driver and try and make eye contact to make sure they’ve seen you and to slow down a bit in case they haven’t. It might seem over the top, but after my crash, I always slow down and never assume a driver won’t pull out in front of me again.
3. Stopping at red lights
Firstly, make sure you stop at red lights or you risk hitting innocent pedestrians or cars going the other direction. But how do you avoid colliding with cars turning left or right when you’re going straight on? Don’t stop in the blind spot of any drivers is the most straight forward solution. If you’re alongside a car, there’s a good chance the driver can’t see you so always wait either in front or behind the other traffic. It’s impossible for the car waiting behind you not to see you if you’re right in front of it.
4. How to stop being hit by a car door
Another one that’s happened to many of us is being ‘doored’ – being hit by the door of a parked vehicle as someone goes to step out of it. How do you try to stop that? The key is to cycle further to the right in your lane, so you’re outside the zone where the door can hit you. I think motorists need to have some patience with this, having been honked at many times for being too far out. It takes a bit of bravery but it’s safer to be away from parked vehicles.
5. The left hook
A problem that happens all too often is a car overtaking you and then slowing down to turn left just in front of you, and you’re forced to slam on your brakes. It’s infuriating and I can only assume they think you’re moving slower or they’re rushing to a maternity unit or something! How to stop it? Just like the previous example, this can be avoidable if you cycle further to the right and closer to the middle of the lane rather than right beside the footpath. Another tip that I often do when going through an intersection is to have a quick look over my shoulder to make sure any approaching cars are not indicating to turn left if I’m going straight on. You can never be too careful.
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