San Francisco Bike Safety

I’ve compiled these tips from two years living in San Francisco where biking has been my main form of transportation. When compared to traveling by car, biking is cheaper, more convenient to park, more environmentally friendly, and part of a more active lifestyle

Unfortunately the existence of automobiles significantly increases the danger of biking.  Also unfortunate is that the law is not designed with bike safety in mind, as it is in many other countries as covered by the economist here.  Nevertheless, biking can be an efficient form of transportation that is nearly as safe as driving. In San Francisco it’s not too uncommon to see the trifecta: A biker running a red light at a busy intersection, wearing no helmet, and having ipod plugs in both ears. This type of behavior is funny but pretty irresponsible. Any accident between an auto and a bike will result in physical injury to the biker, emotional trauma to both parties, and property damage. It also sometimes results in physical injury to the driver and other parties, especially if the driver maneuvers to avoid the biker.

In my opinion the key to biking safely with cars is based on mutual awareness and communication. First, be extremely aware of other cars, especially erratic drivers. I’ve seen cars run stop signs and red lights without slowing down.  Generally drivers behave very predictably, so identifying the outliers is often straightforward. Secondly, make sure they're aware of you and be sure to ride in a predictable way that minimizes conflict and accidents.

The following tips may appear obvious, but please trust me when I say that I've learned the hard way to follow many of them.

Tip 0. Wear a helmet and optionally gloves.
Tip 1. Use lights, front and rear, and turn them on when it’s dark outside.  For the front light I prefer one with rechargeable batteries such as the cordless night rider as they are brighter and last longer.
Tip 2. Wear some colorful shirt or jacket. Since my favorite color is orange this is easy for me.
Tip 3. Don’t listen to music or use your phone while biking or driving. If you think about it cars actually make quite a bit of noise that music will prevent you from hearing. Music or talk radio is also a dangerous distraction
Tip 4: Before every ride check that your bike still works (brakes brake, handlebars don’t move when downward pressure is applied, wheel is true, wheels have air, etc.).
Tip 5. Learn and practice basic safety maneuvers:
- Brake hard using both brakes, but note that the front brake will result in much greater deceleration that has a tendency to push you forward over your handlebars. To compensate, move your center of gravity backwards.
- Look over your shoulder while still riding in a straight line. It’s not as easy as it sounds.
- It’s counter intuitive but to make a really tight turn first position the wheel opposite the intended direction and then cut hard. In dangerous situations when you don’t have enough room to brake, such as a car making a right turn in front of you, you can sometimes use this skill to avoid an accident.
Tip 6: Take the full lane, but *only* if you can generally keep up with the cars (10-20 MPH). The main reason to do so is that it communicates that you exist. This tip helps prevent many common accidents such as cars cutting you off when they turn right, and getting ‘doored’, which is to collide with an opening driver side door of a parked car.
Tip 7: Be cautious in bike lanes, which I affectionately refer to as 'death traps'. In SF they put you to the right of traffic you risk not being seen and are dangerously close to parked cars.  As an alternative to bike lanes some streets have sharrows, which I feel is a much safer alternative.
Tip 8: When crossing railroad tracks be careful not to let your wheel ever become parallel with it.
Tip 9: Most accidents happen in trouble spots, for example at intersections, running red lights, or stop signs, when it's wet or there is debris, or when a biker is weaving in between traffic. After some experience, your gut instincts should help. Before performing that fancy maneuver that may save you a few seconds meditate on whether it’s worth the risk. When you're first starting to bike you should take things slow and cautious until you learn to read the road.
Tip 10* (more controversial and unfortunately illegal): Treat stop signs as yield signs. This means that if its a four way stop and there's a car traveling perpendicular to your route who is there first, stop. It also means that if there are no cars then don't stop. I've never seen a cop pull over a bike for doing this in SF although I've heard that it does occasionally happen.
Tip 11: Accelerate and bike as fast as is reasonable. This means getting in shape enough to travel at 20+ MPH on flat ground and have appropriate gear, such as road tires and clipless pedals, to allow you to accelerate quickly. Unfortunately, many auto drivers go faster than necessary. When the light turns from red to green, in a few seconds they accelerate to 30+ in a 20 MPH zone and slam on the brakes when they inevitably must stop at the next red light. I don't have much sympathy for these folks and feel fine blocking them. If I get honked or cursed at I generally try to start a conversation. I've found that leading politely with 'I'm sorry my driving as upset you' goes a long way to ensuring successful communication.