4ucycling

Cycling has become increasingly more popular in the past few years. Cycling gives the heart and lungs a work out, thus minimising the risk of heart disease. It trims and tones muscles, manages weight,relieves stress and is environmentally friendly. According to reports from C.D.C. (Centers for Disease Control and prevention) 500,000 people are treated in emergency rooms as a result of Cycling accidents. A shocking 7-8OO people are KILLED each year. I hope the following tips and advice will help you avoid a fatal crash when cycling... (1) Never cycle into a road or street without stopping first. Children are the worst culprits. You should follow the age old rule, look right, then left, then look left a second time as cars coming from the left are on your side of the road, and so closer to you. (2) Check behind you before turning or changing lanes and always signal. This involves practice, especially for young children. To practice go to a quiet area of the parking lot or playground....

Alongside learning how to use your gears correctly, learning how to brake correctly is a key part of cycling safety. Whether you need to stop suddenly or simply control your speed on a descent, knowing how to brake properly can make road cycling far more comfortable. Whilst your instinct may be to slam on the rear wheel brake whenever you need to stop quickly, locking the back wheel can cause skidding and loss of control. On the other hand, slamming on the front wheel brake could well send you flying over the handlebars! Instead of using one brake, therefore, if you are looking to improve your cycling safety and minimise your chances of suffering a serious injury it is generally best to try to use both evenly, as this will produce a more balanced and controllable stop. Unfortunately, there are many amateurs out there who are fairly slapdash when it comes to cycling safety and travel tremendously fast when descending. However, unless you have a contract with a professional team, it...

Every year about 300 people are killed on UK roads as a result of a driver falling asleep at the wheel. Driver tiredness accounts for one in five fatal crashes occurring on motorways and other major roads in the UK. Tired driver crashes are three times more likely to result in serious injury or death than other road accidents, because drowsy drivers do not brake or take other avoidance action. These accidents tend to occur most frequently at night, peaking between 2-6am and also in the mid-afternoon, roughly between 3-5 pm. Men, particularly those aged 18-24, are most likely to be involved in these accidents. But statistics also show that some occupations are at particularly high risk: Truck drivers Company car drivers Shift workers, particularly on the first night after a shift Skilled manual workers (e.g. bricklayers, carpenters, electricians) Microsleeps If you are very tired but continue to resist the urge to sleep, you will soon start to experience 'microsleeps...

What is safe cycling? You’ll probably get a different answer from every website you read or any other cyclist you talk to. To me, ‘safe cycling’ relates to the combination of common sense, road rules and cycling knowledge to get you from Point A to Point B in a safe and efficient way, preferably with the journey having been a pleasant one and not fraught with danger. Firstly, please make sure that you are visible when you go out on the bicycle. Fit bright lights to your bike (steady white light in front; flashing red light behind the saddle); wear reflective strips or bands eg around your ankle where the motion attracts attention, and wear bright coloured kit (luminous colours work well) – especially when it is rainy, misty or overcast or at dawn/dusk. What do you need in order to cycle safely? a) You need the right vehicle… Choose the right bicycle for the job. I prefer using a hybrid or mountain bicycle for commuting purposes. It is more comfortable than a road racing bicycle ...

Modern high-end light systems offer enough brightness to give your riding companions sunburn (kidding!). And, they come in a wide variety of price points. But, how much light is needed for safe road or off-road riding?We have a wide assortment of bicycle lights for every purpose! Light It Up To illuminate the road or trail ahead for your own eyes, not just to be seen at night by others, 10 watts is a good starting point. In general, the greater the headlight's wattage, the brighter the light. There are also systems with yellow and white light, the latter being brighter at the same wattage. Find The Right Features Modern lighting systems are packed with features. There are twin- and single-beam headlight systems. There are different battery types (rechargeables are found on better lights). There are ingenious quick-release mounts so you can install and remove the light in a blink. Most lights offer high- and low-beam options like your car (use the high beam for downhills, pitc...

…you can adopt strategies for general prevention and reduction of conflict in road traffic situations. “Science presents a very useful approach here. It would also be a good way to raise awareness among the general public of the following point. Not every reaction on the part of another road user is necessarily intended in a malicious way,” says Risser. Often, we are unsure how to judge the reactions of our fellow people on the roads. In our uncertainty, we tend to “automatically assume the worst intentions on the part of the other person. This negative tendency presupposes that the other person’s behaviour is wrong, stupid or malicious.” With this type of negative tendency, conflict is then more likely to occur. However, it does not need to be this way. We don’t need to view everything based on this negative tendency. This thought should also be promoted to the public in campaigns. If you make a conscious decision against this negative defensive position, then you are giving yourself...