Before you go out to ride your bicycle, learn these safety rules:

• Always keep to the right. Ride with the traffic.

• Ride single file. Stay out of the way of faster car traffic.

• Don’t swerve or weave or switch lanes. Try to travel in a straight line close to the edge of the road.

• Obey all traffic rules. Bicyclists must stop for stop signs and obey traffic signals.

• Stop at intersections. Look both ways before you cross or turn.

• Use hand signals. Use the signal described on this page when you turn or stop.

• Watch out for pedestrians. People on foot have the right of way.

• Don’t overload your bike. Never ride double or carry a heavy load. The road is not a safe place for tricks or stunts.

• Keep your bike in good shape. Make sure everything on your bike is in working order. Check your brakes and tires before each ride.

• Be alert. Watch for possible dangers, such as rocks in the road, dogs, puddles or glass.

• Wear a helmet. In an accident, it will protect your head from serious injury.

• Use a headlamp and reflectors for night riding. Wear light colors.

• Wear bright clothes for daytime rides.

• Avoid sharp turns, particularly on dirt, gravel or sand.

• Shout to alert pedestrians or motorists of your presence.

• Never change directions or lanes without first looking behind you, and always use the correct hand signals.

• Use your left arm for all hand signals.

• Left turn: after checking behind you, hold your arm straight out to the left and ride forward slowly.

• Right turn: after checking behind you, bend your elbow, holding your arm up in an “L” shape, and ride forward slowly.

• Stop: after checking behind you, bend your elbow, pointing your arm downward in an upside down “L” shape and come to a stop.

HOW IMPORTANT IS BIKE SAFETY?

A national research study has shown that every year in the United States:

• Head injuries in bicyclists are noted in:

• 65,000 emergency room cases

• 7,700 hospital admissions

• 40 percent of bicyclists admitted to hospitals

• 70 percent to 80 percent of fatally injured bicyclists

• Bicyclists hospitalized with head injuries are 20 times as likely to die as those without.

• Bicyclist injury rates are highest between ages 5-15.

• 56 percent of fatally injured bicyclists are age 20 or older.

• Death rates for male bicyclists ages 20-54 have substantially increased in recent years.

Distributed in the interest of Safety by Kansas Farm Bureau.