On Jul 27, 2008, at 11:27 PM, Dipesh Navsaria wrote:
I see many, many kids with helmets that aren't on right -- tipped
back fairly far, exposing the forehead, or a chin strap that's so
loose that it clearly won't stay on. I helpfully helped adjust the
straps on a neighbor's child, only to learn later that he complained
enough that they loosened it back up. Oh well.
A large local community agency recently had a billboard up with a
stock photo picture of a mother teacher her daughter to ride a
bike. You guessed it, the helmet was tipped way back. I dropped a
gentle note to someone I knew at that agency to pass on to their ad
people.
I wish I had a better answer to this question, but in all my years of
riding, and on-again, off-again offering of safety tips, I've rarely
had a positive reaction to anything (though most people do appreciate
the suggestion that carrying a pump and patch kit is pretty cheap
insurance, at least when offered immediately after patching their tire
10 miles from anywhere). Other "saftey tips" are generally interpreted
as threats, and receive a defensive reaction, which helps no one.
I like the comment made earlier that people are much more receptive to
such suggestions when none of the participants in the conversation are
in or on a vehicle at the time... which leaves plenty of opportunity
to make sure if my nephews', friends, neighbors hit a curb and flip
over the handlebars, their helmet will be the first thing to hit the
road, not their nose!
On another note: what solution do people on here use when they need
to signal a turn, but need their hands on both handlebars in order
to use both brakes? I've run into this a few times, where I'm
approaching an intersection that I intend to turn at, want to signal
to cars in the vicinity that I'll be turning, but have a difficult
time doing so because I need brakes in order to stop appropriately
or make the turn safely. My only solution so far is to quickly
signal and get my hands back on the brakes. Any other thoughts?
For me, safety always wins! If I ever have any question about being
able to stop or control the bike, my hands are on the brakes/
handlebars. As such, I consider it completely appropriate to signal
well before the maneuver/intersection, and always hold on to the
handlebars during the actual turn/stop (i.e. if I'm making a left
turn, I signal my intent to make the turn prior to moving into
position to make the turn. Once I've signaled the turn, I put my hands
back on the handlebars and move into the left lane. At that point my
lane position is a much better indicator of my intent than a hand
signal would be, so I focus on controlling the bike).
Other than that I try to ride very defensively, and try to avoid
getting into situations where my life is dependent on someone else
changing their behavior... especially when they're inside a vehicle
20x heavier than I am.
Happy riding!
Jay
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