One of the things that you can’t unlearn is knowing how to ride a bike. It just stays there. However, one thing that you can unlearn is to be safe when biking. I’ve had my fair share of biking accidents. Nothing serious. A few scrapes and bumps here and there. While bikes have evolved with all the fancy work put on new bikes today, the old risks still remain. So for your benefit, here are some biking safety tips.

• Be sure to always wear protective gear – A helmet is a must but you might want to consider using knee pads and elbow pads. Wearing gloves could help keep your grip on the handlebars too.
• Make sure to have reflectors – Visibility is greatly reduced during the evenings so make sure you provide ways for other vehicles to see you. There are also some wearable reflectors/blinkers that you can strap on your body.
• Obey traffic rules – Needless to say, as an entity on the road, you must obey traffic rules too. Respect other people – motorists and pedestrians alike.
• Be wary of pedestrians – Stay on the bike lane and don’t bother messing with people on pedestrian lanes. Bikes can cause serious harm too when they crash or swipe people.
• Use hand signals – Bikes don’t have the luxury of having fancy signal lights. But make sure you warn motorists and other people on the road what your next move will be.
• Avoid skitching – Grabbing a part of a moving car to tag along is a popular trick for bike messengers to get some speed. However, this is very dangerous. Drivers can react violently when surprised by skitchers. And remember, skitching means your going at the car’s speed – crashes can be fatal.