Safety tips for bicyclists:

• New York State requires all young riders wear a helmet.
• Parents have a duty to teach their children about traffic laws and road safety. Children should know the appropriate hand signals for making turns, etc. (Parents: remember to teach only hand signals - not hand gestures!)
• When possible, try not to ride a bicycle after dark.  If you must, make sure your bicycle is equipped with headlights, taillights, reflective tape and always wear clothing that can be easily seen.
• Avoid carrying backpacks or other accessories that would get tangled in the spokes or chain.
• Always ride with the flow of traffic (on the right side of the road) and not against the traffic. Motorists are trained to react to other "drivers" who are following the same rules and may not respond quickly enough to avoid an accident if your presence isn't anticipated
• Do not ride a bicycle after drinking alcohol.  Your judgment is severely impaired and your reaction time can most certainly result in a collision.

Bicycle Accidents with motor vehicles can be catastrophic to the bicyclist. 

No matter what age, you should wear a helmet.

Safety tips for motor vehicle drivers:

• If you are sharing the right lane with a bicyclist and you are planning to turn right at an intersection, you must yield to the bicyclist.
• You may not drive in a designated bike lane unless you have immediate intentions to turn off the road.
• There are many "new" traffic laws concerning bicycles and ignorance of the laws will not protect you against negligence if you injure a bicyclist.

Bike riders are also subject to the same traffic laws as motorists. If you are riding a bicycle, you are also required to obey the traffic laws.

In many cases, a bike accident is the result of a motorist not paying attention while operating his or her vehicle. The following are some common types of collisions that a cyclist may be injured in:

• A motor vehicle driver turning directly in front of a bicyclist
• An automobile driver entering the street from a driveway or parking spot and pulls out into traffic in front of the bicyclist
• A motorist's failure to yield at an intersection or running a stop sign or red light
• A vehicle driver's inattention while driving past a bicyclist
• An automobile driver's failure to look both ways when resuming travel after stopping at a stop sign
• An automobile driver is under the influence of drugs or alcohol

It is recommended that bike riders be defensive when traveling on the road.  Unfortunately the best way to avoid a potential accident is to be aware of your surroundings and watch our for inattentive drivers.

Bicycle Accidents have resulted in some shocking statistics:

• A bicyclist is fatally injured every 6 hours
• Nearly one million children are injured each year in bicycle related accidents
• 49% of all bicycle fatalities occur to children under the age of 16
• Head injuries account for 75% of all serious injuries and deaths
• While collisions with automobiles only account for 1/3 of the accidents, they account for the majority of the catastrophic injuries.

Motor vehicle operators should see a bicycle as a motor vehicle and observe the same laws.