National Bike Month Comes to a Close

Austin, TX - National Bike Month is coming to a close. Mark Mitchell from Barton Springs Bikes in South Austin spoke to Good Day about safety tips and how to buy a bike.

Safety tips:

• always ride with traffic, using the rightmost lane, obeying the same laws as motorists
• use hand and arm signals to indicate your intention to stop, merge or turn
• ride where drivers can see you. do not ride on the sidewalk
• wear bright colored clothing at all times. at night, use a white front light and red rear light or reflector and wear reflective clothing
• ride in a straight line and don't swerve between parked cars
• make eye contact with motorists to let them know you are there
• always be aware of the traffic around you and be prepared to take evasive action, exercising additional caution at intersections
• learn braking and turning techniques to aviod crashes
• wear a helmet -- when worn properly, helmets are up to 85 percent effective in protecting the head and brain in the event of a crash. should you crash, or have an impact that affects your helmet, replace it immediately
• fit matters: wear your helmet level on your head, low on your forehead, with no more than two finger widths above your eyebrows

Tips for motorists:

• stay alert, avoiding all distractions while driving
• yield to bicyclists when turning
• in bad weather, give bicycles extra passing room
• check mirrors and blind spots for bicyclists before entering or leaving a lane of traffic
• slow down and give at least three feet of clearance when passing
• reduce your speed when passing bicyclists, especially when the road is narrow
• never honk your horn at a bicyclists just to let them know you are there; it could cause them to swerve into traffic or off the roadway and crash, save your horn for emergencies
• always check for bicyclists before opening your car door