Starting out safe will keep you safe: Protective gear, defensive riding can protect bicyclists from serious injury

Sun May 20 2007
Posted May 20, 2007
8,174

By Jennifer Meyer of the Muscatine Journal MUSCATINE, Iowa — Greg Harper grabbed a bicycle helmet from among 15 scribbled with black magic marker at the top of a rack near the door of his family’s business. Arrows point to a dime-sized gouge about a centimeter deep. Also written is the date the helmet absorbed the collision damage, sparing the crown of its former owner’s head. “Overall, it looks pretty good until you see this dent,” Harper said, pointing to the helmet damage. “It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to think what would have happened if this was a person’s head.” Other damaged helmets in Harper’s collections — including three from his own bicycle accidents — are cracked or sustained significant scrapes. Helmets can protect bicyclists from head injuries if they are involved in an accident, but there are also ways riders can prepare their bikes and themselves and ride safely to prevent a dangerous situation from happening in the first place. Bicycle safety has special significance in May, celebrated as National Bike Month. This week also marks Bike to Work Week, and Bike to Work Day will be observed Friday. For the 48-year-old Harper, bicycles are more than a hobby — they’re his occupation. He has been a member of the Melon City Bike Club for more than 30 years, and has ridden with RAGBRAI, the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. He’s also the manager at Harper’s Cycling and Fitness, 1106 Grandview Ave., Muscatine. He said helmets are a critical piece of safety equipment for bicyclists of all ages and ability levels. “When should you wear a bike helmet? Every time you get on your bike. Who should wear a helmet? Anybody who rides a bike or is a passenger on a bike trailer.” Helmets are available in toddler, youth and adult sizes, he said, to assure a proper fit. “Wearing one is one thing, having it fitted properly is very important,” Harper said. A basic $40 helmet includes adjustments to fit the circumference of the bicyclist’s head, he said. Less expensive helmets are available that include adhesive pads for fit instead. Upper-end helmets can cost more than $100, which Harper said provide greater comfort based on the number, size and placement of ventilation holes. Most helmets sold today have passed minimum safety standards, he said. Proper placement of chin straps ensure the helmet is properly situated to protect the bicyclist’s head, Harper said. “Adjustment of the straps keep the helmet in place. If you have the wrong size helmet or it fits too loose, it’s going to be moving around and you’re going to be taking your hand of the [handle] bar to fool with it, and that’s not safe,” he said. “And if you should hit something and the strap is not adjusted properly and you land, the helmet’s going to shift and not do its job. It’s kind of like driving a car with the seat belt just tucked underneath your arm and not buckled. Is that safe?” A helmet is the main safety gear recommended for bicyclists, Harper said. Some individuals wear gloves to protect their hands from scrapes and bruising, and bright-colored clothing — especially at night — is advised to increase bicyclists’ chances of being seen by motorists. As the collision scars on the helmets in Harper’s collection demonstrate, the head gear can take a pretty good beating, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need to be replaced. Harpers said helmets are designed for replacement after just one accident, and should be replaced about every five years to ensure the integrity of the construction materials. “Just because you buy a helmet doesn’t mean it’s going to last forever,” he said. Bicycle care Bicycle maintenance is also an important safety component. Harper suggested bicyclists have their bicycle professionally inspected on an annual basis, check tire inflation before each ride and make certain chains are adequately lubricated. Sgt. Kevin Sink, traffic safety program coordinator at the Muscatine Police Department, said bicyclists are also advised to keep bikes’ reflectors in tact and have a headlight and flashing tail light to identify themselves to motorists when riding at night. The MPD conducts bicycle inspections during bike rodeos organized by various community groups throughout the year. “Generally speaking, I’d say ... when we do those sort of things, brakes and the proper safety gear are what we find most in need on bicycles,” Sink said. Avoiding accidents Incidents of bicyclists being struck by a motor vehicle are infrequent in Muscatine, Sink said, because bicyclists tend to stay out of the path of motorists. “It is uncommon for us to have a bicycle-vehicle accident,” he said. “We usually have 1-2 serious bicycle accidents a year.” Recently, one such accident sent a 6-year-old girl to the hospital. Cheyenne Stalkfleet, Muscatine, was struck by a truck near the intersection of Kansas Street and Schley Avenue on May 7. She was airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospitals where she remains hospitalized. While not commenting on this case, Sink said that, in general, when accidents do occur it’s usually a case where the bicyclists and motorists didn’t see each other, or the bicyclists acts unexpectedly. Helmets and safety gear can help protect bicyclists, but accident prevention through “defensive riding” could be the best protection, Harper said. “Whether it’s an adult or a child, they need to use their senses when they’re riding: listening for traffic, looking for traffic, because sometimes people in cars aren’t looking for you on a bike,” he said. Sink said who has the right-of-way on the road can be confusing for many bicyclists, but riding a bike is “no different than driving a car” when it comes to obeying traffic laws. Bicyclists must follow the same traffic signal, pavement marking and turning regulations as drivers of motor vehicles. If there’s any question who has the right-of-way, Sink said bicyclists should err on the side of caution. “When you’re on the street, you’re the smallest, lightest- weight vehicle there,” he said. “If my vehicle is smaller, I’m going to give somebody else the right away unless I know what they’re doing.” Bicyclists should share the road with motorists by riding single-file on the right side of the lane. On trails, Harper said, bicyclists should watch for and communicate with pedestrians and other bike traffic. By following a few safety precautions, Sink said, bicycling can remain an enjoyable and healthy activity. “The point of bicycling is recreation in most cases,” he said. “But it also sometimes puts you in a dangerous situation.” Contact Jennifer Meyer at 563-263-2331 ext. 322 or jennifer.meyer@muscatinejournal.com.