Raise Your Bike IQ

This winter, HUB Cycling wants to pass along two very important safety tips, as part of our ongoing commitments to bicycle education and injury prevention. 

Use Your Light, Day & Night

Studies have shown that using bike lights during the day lowers your risk of collision with a motor vehicle by 47%. Cut your risk in half with day-time running lights.

• Lights support visibility, not for lighting the way (aim slightly downward, towards driver line-of-sight)
• White lights mounted on your helmets increase visibility and they turn with your head movement
• Solid lights can be easier to track than blinking lights, which can be distracting and hard to track - keep lights ‘solid’
• Consider switching to re-chargable lights - they’re easy to find, save you money, and reduce your carbon footprint

Open Your Eyes, Then Your Door

Did you know that 1 in 7 bike crashes in Vancouver are from dooring? “Getting doored” is a major problem, and can kill.

• If you're driving, you're responsible - check your mirror before getting out (use your right hand to open the driver's side door - it forces you to turn your body around to look back).
• If you're cycling, maintain a safe passing distance from parked cars (1 metre = 3 feet)
• Whenever possible, ride on streets with less street-side parking

Concerned about ‘taking the lane’ on a shared road? Take a StreetWise Cycling Course either in-person or online, or ask your employer to sign up for a workplace cycling workshop.