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B. Riding Safely
1. Observe all local bicycle laws and regulations. Observe regulations about licensing of bicycles, riding on
sidewalks, laws regulating bike path and trail use, and so on. Observe helmet laws, child carrier laws and special
bicycle traffic laws. It’s your responsibility to know and obey the 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:
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Vehicles slowing or turning, entering the road or your lane ahead of you, or coming up behind you.
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Parked car doors opening.
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Pedestrians stepping out.
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Children or pets playing near the road.
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Pot holes, sewer grating, railroad tracks, expansion joints, road or sidewalk construction, debris and other
obstructions that could cause you to swerve into traffic, catch your wheel or otherwise cause you to lose
control and have an accident.
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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.
6. Stop at stop signs and traffic 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 traffic 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 child-carrying trailer.
Summary of Contents for Bicycle
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