MARIN Bicycle - C. Off Road Safety; E. Night Riding

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If you choose to ride under conditions of poor visibility, check and be sure
you comply with all local laws about night riding, and take the following
strongly recommended additional precautions:
• Purchase and install battery or generator powered head and tail lights
which meet all regulatory requirements and provide adequate visibility.
• Wear light colored, reective clothing and accessories, such as a
reective vest, reective arm and leg bands, reective stripes on your
helmet, ashing lights attached to your body and/or your bicycle ... any
reective device or light source that moves will help you get the attention of
approaching motorists, pedestrians and other trafc.
• Make sure your clothing or anything you may be carrying on the bicycle
does not obstruct a reector or light.
• Make sure that your bicycle is equipped with correctly positioned and
securely mounted reectors.
While riding at dawn, at dusk or at night:
• Ride slowly.
• Avoid dark areas and areas of heavy or fast-moving trafc.
• Avoid road hazards.
• If possible, ride on familiar routes.
If riding in trafc:
• Be predictable. Ride so that drivers can see you and predict your
movements.
• Be alert. Ride defensively and expect the unexpected.
• If you plan to ride in trafc often, ask your dealer about trafc safety
classes or a good book on bicycle trafc safety.
equipment which helps reduce that risk. Consult your dealer about night
riding safety equipment.
WARNING: Reectors are not a substitute for required lights.
Riding at dawn, at dusk, at night or at other times of poor
visibility without an adequate bicycle lighting system and
without reectors is dangerous and may result in serious injury
or death.
Bicycle reectors are designed to pick up and reect car lights and street
lights in a way that may help you to be seen and recognized as a moving
bicyclist.
CAUTION: Check reectors and their mounting brackets
regularly to make sure that they are clean, straight, unbroken
and securely mounted. Have your dealer replace damaged
reectors and straighten or tighten any that are bent or loose.
The mounting brackets of front and rear reectors are often designed as
brake straddle cable safety catches which prevent the straddle cable from
catching on the tire tread if the cable jumps out of its yoke or breaks.
WARNING: Do not remove the front or rear reectors or
reector brackets from your bicycle. They are an integral part
of the bicycle’s safety system. Removing the reectors reduces
your visibility to others using the roadway. Being struck by
other vehicles may result in serious injury or death.
The reector brackets may protect you from a brake straddle
cable catching on the tire in the event of brake cable failure. If
a brake straddle cable catches on the tire, it can cause the
wheel to stop suddenly, causing you to loose control and fall.
Off Road respect
Obey the local laws regulating where and how you can ride off-road, and
respect private property. You may be sharing the trail with others — hikers,
equestrians, other cyclists. Respect their rights. Stay on the designated
trail. Don’t contribute to erosion by riding in mud or with unnecessary
sliding. Don’t disturb the ecosystem by cutting your own trail or shortcut
through vegetation or streams. It is your responsibility to minimize your
impact on the environment. Leave things as you found them; and always
take out everything you brought in.
D. Wet Weather Riding
WARNING: Wet weather impairs traction, braking and visibility,
both for the bicyclist and for other vehicles sharing the road.
The risk of an accident is dramatically increased in wet
conditions.
Under wet conditions, the stopping power of your brakes (as well as the
brakes of other vehicles sharing the road) is dramatically reduced and
your tires don’t grip nearly as well. This makes it harder to control speed
and easier to lose control. To make sure that you can slow down and stop
safely in wet conditions, ride more slowly and apply your brakes earlier and
more gradually than you would under normal, dry conditions. See also
Section 4.C.
E. Night Riding
Riding a bicycle at night is much more dangerous than riding during
the day. A bicyclist is very difcult for motorists and pedestrians to see.
Therefore, children should never ride at dawn, at dusk or at night. Adults
who chose to accept the greatly increased risk of riding at dawn, at dusk
or at night need to take extra care both riding and choosing specialized
C. Off Road Safety
We recommend that children not ride on rough terrain unless they are
accompanied by an adult.
1. The variable conditions and hazards of off-road riding require close
attention and specic skills. Start slowly on easier terrain and build up your
skills. If your bike has suspension, the increased speed you may develop also
increases your risk of losing control and falling. Get to know how to handle
your bike safely before trying increased speed or more difcult terrain.
2. Wear safety gear appropriate to the kind of riding you plan to do.
3. Don’t ride alone in remote areas. Even when riding with others, make sure
that someone knows where you’re going and when you expect to be back.
4. Always take along some kind of identication, so that people know who you
are in case of an accident; and take along some cash for food, a cool drink or
an emergency phone call.
5. Yield right of way to pedestrians and animals. Ride in a way that does
not frighten or endanger them, and give them enough room so that their
unexpected moves don’t endanger you.
6. Be prepared. If something goes wrong while you’re riding off-road, help
may not be close.
7. Before you attempt to jump, do stunt riding or race with your bike, read and
understand Section 2.F.