SilverBack SCALERA 1 - Riding Safety

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B. Riding Safety
1. Obey all Rules of the Road and all local trac laws.
2. You are sharing the road or the path with others — motorists, pedestrians and other
cyclists. Respect their rights.
3. Ride defensively. Always assume that others do not see you.
4. Look ahead, and be ready to avoid:
• Vehicles slowing or turning, entering the road or your lane ahead of you, or coming up
behind you.
• Parked car doors opening.
• Pedestrians stepping out.
• Children or pets playing near the road.
• Pot holes, sewer grating, railroad tracks, expansion joints, road or sidewalk
construction, debris and other obstructions that could cause you to swerve into trac,
catch your wheel or cause you to have an accident.
• The many other hazards and distractions which can occur on a bicycle ride.
5. Ride in designated bike lanes, on designated bike paths or as close to the edge of the road
as possible, in the direction of trac flow or as directed by local governing laws.
6. Stop at stop signs and trac lights; slow down and look both ways at street intersections.
Remember that a bicycle always loses in a collision with a motor vehicle, so be prepared to
yield even if you have the right of way.
7. Use approved hand signals for turning and stopping.
8. Never ride with headphones. They mask trac sounds and emergency vehicle sirens,
distract you from concentrating on what’s going on around you, and their wires can tangle
in the moving parts of the bicycle, causing you to lose control.
9. Never carry a passenger, unless it is a small child wearing an approved helmet and secured
in a correctly mounted child carrier or a childcarrying trailer.
10. Never carry anything which obstructs your vision or your complete control of the bicycle,
or which could become entangled in the moving parts of the bicycle.
11. Never hitch a ride by holding on to another vehicle.
12. Don’t do stunts, wheelies or jumps. If you intend to do stunts, wheelies, jumps or go racing
with your bike despite our advice not to, read Section 2.F, Downhill, Stunt or Competition
Biking, now. Think carefully about your skills before deciding to take the large risks that go
with this kind of riding.
13. Don’t weave through trac or make any moves that may surprise people with whom you
are sharing the road.
14. Observe and yield the right of way.
15. Never ride your bicycle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
16. If possible, avoid riding in bad weather, when visibility is obscured, at dawn, dusk
or in the dark, or when extremely tired. Each of these conditions increases the
risk of accident.