Office Cycling Safety Tips

Cycling brings its set of dangers, and it's very important to stay safe while cycling. As Josh Levin says, unlike cars, bicycles do not have airbags, seatbelts and crumple zones.
I'm not trying to invent hot water here, just a down-to earth reminder of basic safety tips I learned while cycling. So here goes, in the order of importance:

• Wear a cycling helmet - a best practice is to always wear a cycling helmet. I can guarantee that you will fall of your bike, and that you'll fall when you are at your peak condition and confidence level (thus going very fast and overtaking/passing in very tight spaces). Proper fitting of the helmet and straps is just as important as wearing it. 

• Wear cycling eyewear - there is no windshield in front of you, so insects and particles flying into your eyes are a very real and very common problem. As you accelerate, this problem will increase exponentially. You will want to avoid glass lenses, since they shatter and can harm you when you fall. Go for eyewear with interchangeable plastic lenses and frames which have rubber padding on the nose pad and the temples, so they don't slip as your skin starts sweating. I prefer cycling eyewear with ventilation holes on the frame and lense edges, to provide some ventilation  for the skin and prevent fogging-in.
• Check brakes before your cycling session - for me, brakes have been the only thing saving my a** from slamming head on into a brand new railing placed overnight on my usual daily route. You need to be able to trust them!
• Do not use headphones while cycling - the sense of hearing is your only omni-directional sense. It's the only sense that will alert you of things approaching from behind, as well as warning sounds/honks/yells from people trying to save your neck. So do not compromise this sense for a bit of fun. Even a single earbud will reduce your ability to assess the direction of sound - much like trying to assess depth (distance) to an object with only one eye. 
• No texting/phoning while cycling - this should be self-evident, but one still sees people of monumental ignorance trying to do just this, and risking their as well as other's safety. To use your phone, just stop, make a call/text and go on safely.
• Wear cycling gloves - they have several functions, inluding more comfort when gripping the handlebars, some warming effect on cold days, but they also help with much less scraped skin when you fall
  

Talkback and Comments are most welcome 

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About Bozidar Spirovski