Bicycle Driving Seminarby Fred Oswald, League Cycling Instructor #947

www.cycle-safety.comwww.labreform.orgwww.bikelaws.org

Health

Fitness

Clean ai

r

Companionship

Enjoy

Reduced congestion© Fred Oswald, Apr 2010

Quiet

Commute to work

Ride for errands

Touring & Recreation

Sport CyclingParent Tips

Safest methods are counterintuitive Much "Bike Safety" teaching is wrong! Most think unsafe methods safer & vice versa Most people unwilling to learn better ways

Bad News

Fred OswaldOct 2008

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

Worse News

Fred OswaldOct 2008

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

Great News

Fred OswaldOct 2008

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.

Common Bicycling Fallaciesof the “Car Culture”

Fred OswaldMar 2010

These are compounded by the fallacy thatthere is nothing to learn about cycling

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”

Beware of “GOOD” ADVICEfrom the Car Culture

Don’t repeat bad advice just because it “sounds good”Fred Oswald

Mar 2005

Bike Safety SwimmingQualifications “Authority figure” Certified instructor

Skill/ Experience Required

None Pre-class written & swim skills test

Instructor Training

None 36 hour class, master skills, written & swim exam.

Syllabus None Red Cross water safety prog.

Fred Oswald, Jun 2002

Who teaches children “Bike Safety”?Who taught us when we were young?

-- Compare cycling with swimming

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

Fred OswaldFeb 2003Photo above from Chicago’s Bike Lane Design Manual

Operating by pedestrian methodsand in unexpected places

is often dangerous

SAME ROADS, SAME RULES,SAME RIGHTS

following best practices

Urban Bicycle Crashes

Single Veh. (fall) -- 45%

Collision with Car -- 18%

Collision with Bike -- 17%

Collision with Animal -- 8%

Hit Parked Car (door) -- 4%

Hit Pedestrian -- 1%

Source: Kaplan, “Characteristics of the Regular Adult Bicycle User” Fred OswaldApr 2000

FALLS

Collisionw/CAR

Collisionw/BIKE

w/ANIMAL

Most bike crashes do not involve cars!

DOOR

Car-Bike Crashes, Who is at Fault?

WRONG-WAY

L-TURN FROM R

NO YIELD @ driveway

RUNLIGHT,or SIGN

LEFTCROSS

RIGHTHOOK

RUN LIGHT or SIGN

SWERVE

About HALF are caused by cyclist error!

90% involve turning & crossing traffic.

DOOR

NO YIELD @ driveway

Fred OswaldJun 2002

OVERTAKING(2/3 at night) Misc.

Source: BikeEd Instructor ManualBased on Effective Cycling

Cyclist fault

Motorist fault

-

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

Heart Cancer Stroke Lung Bike Crash

U.S. Fatalities per Year

-

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

B'ball Bikes Beds Chairs Rugs

ER visits per year

Frank Krygowski

Effect of Experience on Cycling Crashes

Adapted from: John Forester, Bicycle Transportation, 2nd Ed., MIT Press, 1994Orig. sources: Chlapecka, et al.; Schupack and Driessen; Kaplan; Watkins

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

CTC Club Cyclists

LAW Club Cyclists

College Adult

Elementary School

Accidents per Million miles

Fred OswaldNov 2000

Knowledgeable & experienced cyclistsare ~ 80% safer than the average adult.

~ 30%improvement

~ 80%improvement

Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles

Fred OswaldJun 2002

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.

Source: Effective Cycling & BikeEd Instructor Manuals

STOP

Primary zone of vigilance Secondary zone

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

"...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

Bicycle Sidepath / Sidewalk – Unsafe at (almost) any speed

Photo by F. Oswald, Jun 1999

Sidewalk and Sidepath Hazards

Paul Schimek, 2001D. Gutierrez & B. P. DeSousa, 2003

Riding against traffic on sidewalk or sidepath is significantly more dangerous.

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

Vehicular Cycling “Layers of Safety”

Fred Oswald, Jul 2008

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.)

Vehicular Cycling Safety Skills1. 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

Fred Oswald, Aug 2003

Proper Lane PositioningAn 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 Wayne Pein

Photo by R. Woodward, Jan 2000

State of Ohio on Bicycle Lane PositionOhio 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 Passingbut don’t ride in the gutter

Fred OswaldSep2008

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

Right from ---CommuteOrlando.com

Stay out of turn lane unless turning.Stay away from trucker’s blind spot!

What is Assertive Cycling?--- the sweet spot between being aggressive and passive.

Aggressive:Uncooperative,pushy, selfish, combative

Passive: Inactive, submitting without resistance

Assertive: Standing up for one’s rights, while also respecting rights of others.

Fred OswaldJul 2008

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.

Don’t Get the “Door Prize”Beware bike lane hazards

Cambridgefatalitywww.rwinters.com/

Chicago Bikelane Design Guide

Door ZoneBike Lanes.

Don’t assume a bikelane is a safe place to ride!

Bike lanes encourage mistakes:• Pass on right & filter forward• “Drive-out” at stop sign• “Right hook” • “Left cross”

Bike Lane Hazards

Paul Schimek, 2002 Fred Oswald, 2010

Ever seen “car”roads like this?

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

?

La

ne

Bike L

an

eB

ike

LaneBike

Copyright © 2004, D. A. Gutierrez and D.P. DeSousa

Left Turn Technique

1. Look back & plan move2. Find a gap in traffic3. Signal & merge to L side of

lane4. Look back for gap in traffic5. Signal & merge to next lane

Plan ahead & getinto 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

Fred OswaldAug 2008

Right – Stop with wheels over wire buried in road.(Most work if you find right spot.)

Stencil to mark detector loop.

Dipole loopsweet spots

Quadrupoleloop

sweet spots

video detector

A bike is not a toy. It is a child’s first vehicle. Fred Oswald, Sep 2002

Teach your kids: ‘Drive your Bike!’

Paul Schimek &Fred Oswald, Mar 2003

Why traffic law matters

Traffic laws shape ---• How cyclists are taught to ride

• The safety record of cyclists

• How the police treat cyclists• 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.

0

5

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15

20

25

Excellent Good Poor Bad Dangerous

No

. of

Co

mm

un

itie

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9 havepoor rules

Fred Oswald, Jul 2002Revised Jan 2010

Survey of Bicycle Traffic Rulesin 75 NE Ohio Communities

21 haveexcellent

rules21 have

bad rules

13 havedangerous

rules

2006 Ohio reforms made bad local rules invalid!But local reforms are not automatic.

11 havegoodrules

Middleburg Hts. <C>:Generally consistent w/state law

Broadview Hts <F->:Reqd. to ride on sidewalkReqd. to ride on sidepathUnder 11 not allowed on streetsReq’d to walk across intersection of through streets Req’d to yield to vehicular traffic

N Royalton <A->:Generally consistent w/state law

Strongsville <D->:Reqd. to ride on sidepathUnder 11 not allowed on streetsReq’d to walk across intersection of through streets

N Olmsted <D>:Reqd. to ride on sidepathUnder 8 not allowed on residential streetsUnder 12 not allowed on non-residential streetsSidewalk cyclists must walk across intersection of through streets

Cleveland <C>:Generally consistent w/state law

Brook Park <A>:Generally consistent w/state lawExcept brake must skid wheelFairview Park <D->:

Reqd. to ride on sidepathUnder 12 not allowed on non-residential streets

Avon Lake <C+>Keep to the right-hand curb.

Avon <F->Reqd. to ride on sidewalkReqd. to ride on sidepathUnder 11 not allowed on streetsReq’d to walk across intersection of through streets

N Ridgeville <F->Reqd. to ride on sidewalkReqd. to ride on sidepathUnder 11 not allowed on streetsReq’d to walk across intersection of through streets

A ‘Crazy Quilt of Non-Uniformand Dangerous Traffic Laws

Dangerous bicycle regulationsActual 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.

Fred Oswald Apr 2007

This is invalid in Ohio following reforms passed in 2006

Improving Safety Through Education

Summary

• Much of what we learned as kids is wrong.

• Most collisions involve turning or crossing traffic.

• Be assertive about your safety.

• Proper lane position helps avoid trouble.

• Standard traffic laws good; bike specific laws bad.

• 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