SEMCOG
Southeast Michigan Council Of Governments

Bike Safe

| bicycle and pedestrian travel, regionalism

Jenya Abramovich

Jenya Abramovich

Jenya Abramovich, AICP, is a planner in SEMCOG’s Transportation Modeling and Mobility group. Her focus is creating safe and comfortable streets for all people and travel modes. She has a Bachelor’s in Public Policy and Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Michigan.

Other posts by

This month, SEMCOG and its partners throughout the region are encouraging everyone in Southeast Michigan to stay safe on the roads and Walk.Bike.Drive. Safe. Safety is everyone’s responsibility. Today, Jenya Abramovich shares some information and tips specific to biking safely.

I really enjoy this time of year. College football and Halloween are particularly fun parts of this season for me. However, I cannot help noticing daily instances of something that was safe enough just a month ago but has now become truly frightening.

I typically walk to work between 7:30 and 8 a.m. Sunrise today happened at 7:37. This means that the safety environment has drastically changed since September 8, when the sun rose at 7:05.

Each day, I see people riding bikes during my morning walk. A month ago, they were easily visible. Now that it’s dark at this time, a cyclist without lights or reflective clothing can be almost impossible for drivers to see until it’s too late.

Our data shows that:

65% of bicyclists’ deaths happen in the dark.

While I love this season, the shorter days make it more critical than ever to practice safe habits on our roads. Tom Bruff shared tips last week to help keep safe while walking, and I want to remind you once again that the few extra steps it may take to use a crosswalk are well worth the protection they provide. Wearing light or reflective clothing and even something that lights up, as I do when walking in the dark, is also important for pedestrians.

There are also things we need to do when riding bikes to keep safe. I encourage you to watch and share this video, which is one part of our Walk.Bike.Drive. Safe campaign and highlights the importance of being visible when it is dark outside.

Here are some more tips to help you…

Bike Safe

Always…

  • Obey all traffic signs and signals.
  • Ride with traffic, not against it, including on sidewalks and paths.
  • Watch for turning vehicles at intersections and driveways.
  • Use your hands to signal when you plan to turn, slow down, or stop.
  • Wear a properly fitted helmet.
  • Yield the right-of-way to pedestrians on sidewalks or crosswalks.
  • Give an audible warning before you pass people on a sidewalk or bicyclists on the road or path.

Never…

  • Ride after dark without a white headlight, a red rear light, and bright and reflective clothing.
  • Ride distracted, including talking or texting on your phone or listening to headphones.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *