Why Do You Ride Like That?
SVBC provides in person and now virtual bike education on road safety, covering laws and rules of the road. Content includes information on where a person on a bike should best position themselves in the road, in a variety of situations, to be safe and most visible to all road users. The overall goal is to help people new to biking navigate roads comfortably and confidently. But because most people biking also drive cars, we find we’re providing participants valuable driver education and clearing up some common misconceptions - bonus! And, having the vantage from both a bicyclist and driver perspective allows deeper empathy for one another.
With that in mind, we want to share an article from Cycling Savvy titled ‘FAQ: Why Do You Ride Like That? Which provides answers to common questions car drivers ask about road cycling including:
“I thought the law required bicyclists to keep all the way to the right.”
“Why weren’t you in the bike lane?”
“Wouldn’t you just be safer biking on the sidewalk?”
“You’re gonna get run over.”
“You’re impeding traffic.”
“You’re supposed to ride single-file.”
“Bicyclists don’t pay gas taxes, and shouldn’t be allowed on roads.”
“Bicyclists should be required to have driver’s licenses.”
“Too many bicyclists think the laws don’t apply to them.”
Please consider sharing this article widely. The more compassion and understanding we can have for one another makes the roads safer for all.