Transcript Bicycle Driving Seminar
Bicycle Driving Seminar
by Fred Oswald, League Cycling Instructor #947 www.cycle-safety.com
www.labreform.org
www.bikelaws.org
Commute to work Ride for errands Touring & Recreation Sport Cycling Parent Tips
© Fred Oswald, Apr 2010
Bad News
Safest methods are counterintuitive
Much "Bike Safety" teaching is wrong!
Most think unsafe methods safer & vice versa
Most people unwilling to learn better ways
Fred Oswald Oct 2008
Worse News
Some traffic laws discourage safest practices
Cyclists greatest duty “staying out of the way”
“Bicycle facilities" encourage unsafe behavior
“Bicycle Friendly” is often cyclist unfriendly
Fred Oswald Oct 2008
Great News
You can eliminate >90% of your risk
Best practices not hard if you are willing to learn
Driving a bike is >90% same as driving a car
You already know how to drive a car
Fred Oswald Oct 2008
Common Bicycling Fallacies
of the “Car Culture”
1. “Fear from the rear” (Fear of traffic passing from behind).
2. Roads are for cars / Cyclists do not belong on the road / Greatest duty staying out of the way 3. Rules of the road do not apply / Cyclists do not need (or cannot learn) to follow the rules of the road.
These are compounded by the fallacy that there is nothing to learn about cycling
Fred Oswald Mar 2010
Beware of
“
GOOD” ADVICE
from the Car Culture
1. “Stay out of the way of cars” 2. “Always ride on the sidewalk” 3. “Ride as far right as possible” 4. “You could be dead right” 5. “Ride as though other drivers can't see you”
Don’t repeat bad advice just because it “sounds good”
Fred Oswald Mar 2005
Who teaches children “Bike Safety”?
Who taught us when we were young?
-- Compare cycling with swimming Qualifications Skill/ Experience Required Instructor Training Bike Safety “Authority figure” None None Syllabus None Swimming Certified instructor Pre-class written & swim skills test 36 hour class, master skills, written & swim exam.
Red Cross water safety prog.
Fred Oswald, Jun 2002
Break the cycle of misinformation
Child riding wrong way “Safe Routes to School” cover DOT HS 809 497, Sep 2002.
The Guiding Principle:
Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles
SAME ROADS, SAME RULES, SAME RIGHTS following best practices Operating by pedestrian methods and in unexpected places is often dangerous
Photo above from Chicago’s Bike Lane Design Manual Fred Oswald Feb 2003
Urban Bicycle Crashes
DOOR w/ANIMAL Collision w/BIKE Collision w/CAR FALLS Single Veh. (fall) -- 45% Collision with Car -- 18% Collision with Bike -- 17% Collision with Animal -- 8% Hit Parked Car (door) -- 4% Hit Pedestrian -- 1%
Most bike crashes do not involve cars!
Source: Kaplan, “Characteristics of the Regular Adult Bicycle User” Fred Oswald Apr 2000
Car-Bike Crashes, Who is at Fault?
OVERTAKING (2/3 at night) DOOR NO YIELD @ driveway RUN LIGHT or SIGN RIGHT HOOK Misc.
LEFT CROSS WRONG-WAY L-TURN FROM R NO YIELD @ driveway RUN LIGHT, or SIGN About HALF are caused by cyclist error!
90% involve turning & crossing traffic.
Cyclist fault
Source:
BikeEd Instructor Manual
Based on
Effective Cycling
Motorist fault SWERVE
Fred Oswald Jun 2002
ER visits per year 700,000 600,000 500,000 400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000 Bikes Beds Chairs B'ball U.S. Fatalities per Year 700,000 600,000 500,000 400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000 Heart Cancer Stroke Rugs Lung Bike Crash
Frank Krygowski
Effect of Experience on Cycling Crashes Elementary School College Adult LAW Club Cyclists CTC Club Cyclists
0
~ 30% improvement ~ 80% improvement
100 200 300 400 500 600
Accidents per Million miles
700 800
Knowledgeable & experienced cyclists are ~ 80% safer than the average adult.
Adapted from: John Forester,
Bicycle Transportation, 2 nd Ed.,
MIT Press, 1994 Orig. sources: Chlapecka, et al.; Schupack and Driessen; Kaplan; Watkins Fred Oswald Nov 2000
Principles of Traffic Law 1. First Come, First Served 2. Drive on the Right 3. Obey Traffic Control Devices 4. Observe Speed Positioning 5. Follow Intersection Positioning
The standard rules of the road give cyclists a huge safety advantage.
Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles
Source: Effective Cycling & BikeEd Instructor Manuals Fred Oswald Jun 2002
Your lane is ON the road.
Don’t ride wrong way or on sidewalk!
Stay in traffic lane to be seen
STOP
Fred Oswald, Jun 2002
Bicycle Sidepath / Sidewalk – Unsafe at (almost) any speed
"...Sidewalks are typically designed for pedestrian speeds and maneuverability and are not safe for higher speed bicycle use.
”
Amer Assoc. of State Highway Trans. Officials,
Guidelines for the Development of Bicycle Facilities
Photo by F. Oswald, Jun 1999
Sidewalk and Sidepath Hazards Riding on sidewalk/sidepath compared to riding on road increases collision risk by a factor of:
─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─
1.8 (California; Wachtel and Lewiston 1994) 2.7 (Eugene, OR, 1979) 4.7 (California, 1974) 3.4 (Sweden; Linderholm 1984) 2.4-8.6 (Finland, Sweden, & Norway; Leden 1988) 3.9 (Denmark; Jensen, Andersen, Nielsen 1997) 1.7 to 5 (Germany; Schnull, Alrutz et al 1993)
In general, the designated use of sidewalks (as a signed shared facility) for bicycle travel is unsatisfactory.
--- AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities Riding against traffic on sidewalk or sidepath is significantly more dangerous.
Paul Schimek, 2001 D. Gutierrez & B. P. DeSousa, 2003
Vehicular Cycling “Layers of Safety”
1.
Don’t CAUSE collision (follow rules of road) 2. Assertively deter motorist mistakes 3. Drive defensively to escape hazards 4. Mitigation (helmets, gloves, etc.)
Fred Oswald, Jul 2008
Vehicular Cycling Safety Skills
1. Look Back (Scan) for Traffic 2. Rock Dodge 3. Hard Braking (panic stop) 4. Quick Turn These skills can prevent YOU from causing a crash … or allow you to escape someone else’s error. They require instruction & practice.
Fred Oswald, Apr 2002
Proper Lane Positioning
An essential skill for cyclists Narrow Lane Road or Downhill – Use Full Lane Cyclists have legal right and safety obligation to use the full lane if too narrow to share with motor vehicles
Photo by R. Woodward, Jan 2000 Photo by Wayne Pein Fred Oswald, Aug 2003
State of Ohio on Bicycle Lane Position
Ohio Revised Code § 4511.55(A) says:
…ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable …
Note practice-able. DOES NOT SAY as near as possible!
§ 4511.55(C) says:
This section does not require … ride at the edge of the roadway when it is unreasonable or unsafe to do so. … when necessary to avoid fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, surface hazards, or if it otherwise is unsafe or impracticable to do so, including if the lane is too narrow for the bicycle and an overtaking vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.
Ohio Bicycling Street Smarts says:
On a road with two or more narrow lanes in your direction - like many city streets -- you should ride in the middle of the right lane at all times.
Fred Oswald, Apr 2010
Wide Lane – Room to Allow Passing
but don’t ride in the gutter
Fred Oswald Sep 2008
Defensive Driving — Be Assertive for Your Safety
See and be seen Deter unsafe passing Prevent motorist mistakes Stay out of the door zone Avoid road hazards Keep safety zone to your right
Defensive Driving — Beware the Right-Hook Hazard Stay out of turn lane unless turning.
Stay away from trucker’s blind spot!
Right from -- CommuteOrlando.com
What is Assertive Cycling?
--- the sweet spot between being aggressive and passive.
Aggressive: Uncooperative, pushy, selfish, combative Assertive: Standing up for one’s rights, while also respecting rights of others.
Passive: Inactive, submitting without resistance
Avoiding Hazards on the Right
Below – you almost never need to dodge drain grates if you ride far enough left.
Above – you never need to dodge car doors if you ride far enough left.
Fred Oswald Jul 2008
Don’t Get the “Door Prize”
Beware bike lane hazards Door Zone Bike Lanes.
Don’t assume a bikelane is a safe place to ride!
Cambridge fatality
www.rwinters.com/
Chicago Bikelane Design Guide
Bike Lane Hazards
• • • •
Bike lanes encourage mistakes: Pass on right & filter forward “Drive-out” at stop sign “Right hook” “Left cross” Ever seen “car” roads like this?
Paul Schimek, 2002 Fred Oswald, 2010
Destination Position & Bike Lanes
•
Bike Lane type speed positioning doesn’t work at intersections
–
Straight through traveling cyclists should not be at the extreme right
–
Bike Lanes often encourage cyclists to violate destination position rule
?
Most Bike Lanes create intersection confusion by promoting common destination positioning mistakes Bike ne La
Copyright © 2004, D. A. Gutierrez and D.P. DeSousa
Left Turn Technique 1. Look back & plan move 2. Find a gap in traffic 3. Signal & merge to L side of lane 4. Look back for gap in traffic 5. Signal & merge to next lane Plan ahead & get into position early
Fred Oswald, Dec 2003
‘Negotiating’ a Left Merge In tight traffic – look back & signal to get the cooperation of a following driver. Merge over only if driver allows. Never try to ‘force’ a merge.
Fred Oswald Aug 2002
Using Vehicle Detectors
Stencil to mark detector loop. video detector Dipole loop sweet spots Quadrupole loop sweet spots Right – Stop with wheels over wire buried in road.
(Most work if you find right spot.)
Fred Oswald Aug 2008
Teach your kids: ‘Drive your Bike!’
A bike is not a toy. It is a child’s first vehicle.
Fred Oswald, Sep 2002
Why traffic law matters
Traffic laws shape ---
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How cyclists are taught to ride
•
The safety record of cyclists
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How the police treat cyclists
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What the motoring public expects from cyclists
•
What happens in court or with insurance adjustor if a cyclist has a collision
Uniform traffic laws promote safe, fair & efficient travel for all.
Paul Schimek & Fred Oswald, Mar 2003
5 0 10 15 20 25 Survey of Bicycle Traffic Rules in 75 NE Ohio Communities 21 have excellent rules 21 have bad rules 11 have good rules 9 have poor rules 13 have dangerous rules Excellent Good Poor Bad Dangerous 2006 Ohio reforms made bad local rules invalid!
But local reforms are not automatic.
Fred Oswald, Jul 2002 Revised Jan 2010
Avon Lake
A ‘Crazy Quilt of Non-Uniform and Dangerous Traffic Laws Avon
Brook Park : Generally consistent w/state law Except brake must skid wheel
Middleburg Hts.
Dangerous bicycle regulations
Actual local ordinance
“Any person operating a bicycle shall ride upon the sidewalk rather than the roadway when sidewalks are available and not congested with pedestrian traffic.”
Ohio Revised Code § 4511.711 says:
“no local authority may require that bicycles be operated on sidewalks.”
This ordinance requires expert cyclists to imitate beginners. It is invalid because it conflicts with the uniform rules of the road. This is invalid in Ohio following reforms passed in 2006
Fred Oswald Apr 2007
Improving Safety Through Education
Summary
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Much of what we learned as kids is wrong.
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Most collisions involve turning or crossing traffic.
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Be assertive about your safety.
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Proper lane position helps avoid trouble.
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Standard traffic laws good; bike specific laws bad.
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A bike is not a toy. It is a child’s first vehicle.
Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles
Fred Oswald, Apr 2010