There are so many benefits obtainable from cycling, for both riders and the planet – it improves fitness, reduces pollution and even boosts brain power. But cycling can be a dangerous pastime if it isn’t done with enough thought and care, and bike safety certainly isn’t where it needs to be yet.
According to the road safety charity Brake, 30 cyclists die for every billion miles travelled – compared with just two car drivers.
But it doesn’t have to be this way! SWOV reports that cyclists riding in the dark are 17% less likely to fall victim to an accident if they have a working front and rear light.
Meanwhile, a Danish study cited in We Love Cycling shows that cyclists using lights during the day were able to reduce the risk of colliding with a car by 19%.
Many cyclists are understandably nervous of riding on roads in towns and large cities, but it is perfectly feasible to ride safely by following the rules, investing in the right bike lights and equipment, and using your common sense.
Here, we’ll cover some essentials for improving cycling safety and reducing accidents on the roads. Hopefully, this guide will help you stay safe.
You can’t put a price on safety – it is your life you are risking, so ensuring that you’re investing in the very best bike safety equipment should be a no-brainer!
But you won’t just need the right equipment – you’ll also need to make sure it’s properly fitted to ensure that it provides the best level of protection for you.
Here’s what the experts say should be the non-negotiables.
It might sound obvious, but one of the most important pieces of bike safety equipment to consider is your bike itself.
A bike that’s too big or too small for you will be harder to control.
Make sure you use a bike fitting guide such as the one provided by Bicycle Guider, or enlist the help of a cycle shop professional and ensure that you buy a bike that suits you personally. There are many similar guides online.
Choosing the right saddle and handlebars, and ensuring that they’re fitted securely, adjusted correctly and comfortable are also important. Advice on this can also be found in the above article.
Plus, it’s absolutely essential to make sure your bike is working properly.
Maintaining your bike to ensure that all nuts, screws and quick release fittings are tight; the chain and brake mechanisms are clean, properly adjusted and lubricated; the brake blocks or disks and pads are not badly worn; and that your tyres are in good serviceable condition and are set to the correct level of inflation are all factors that can help keep you safe.
A cycle helmet is one of the most important items of equipment you can buy that can protect you in the event of an accident.
Not only is it important to wear a bike helmet every time you get on your bike, but it’s equally vital to make sure that your helmet fits properly.
Your helmet should sit low on your forehead and just one or two finger-widths above your eyebrows. Meanwhile, the side straps should form a ‘V’ shape under and slightly in front of your ears. And the chin strap should be tight enough so that no more than one or two fingers can fit beneath it.
Always take the time to make sure your helmet is the right size and that it fits properly – it might just save your life!
A good guide to choosing and fitting your cycle helmet is provided by the retailer Decathlon.
Making sure you can be seen easily by other road users is key to preventing cycling accidents.
In the daytime, wear bright clothing and in the dark, make sure to opt for high visibility gear.
Gear to consider includes high vis cycling jackets, helmet covers, overtrousers and armbands.
Keeping safe on a bike is about more than just being seen.
Wearing wrap-around clear or sunglasses prevents dust, mud, stones and insects from getting into your eyes, which can in turn cause instability and increase the risk of accidents.
Wearing gloves to keep your fingers warm and dry can also improve your riding posture in winter or bad weather.
Bike lights can help to prevent accidents by ensuring you can both see and be seen.
Having the right lights on your bike between sunset and sunrise is a legal requirement in the UK – we’ll discuss what the regulations say shortly.
But studies have also shown that, even in daylight hours, bright or flashing bike lights can help to reduce the chance of accidents.
Head to our guide on choosing the right bike lights for tips and guidance.
Complementing your bike lights with a range of bike light accessories can help to increase your safety on the roads.
For example, consider investing in a power bank so that you can recharge your lights out and about if they run out of charge.
Similarly, a quick-release mount will ensure that your lights retain their original set-up each time you re-fit them. In this way, you can avoid blinding other road users with badly-adjusted light beams.
Reflectors are another legal requirement on your bike during the hours of darkness.
Your bike must be fitted with a red rear reflector and amber pedal reflectors.
It would also help if you use a white front reflector and orange spoke reflectors to enhance sideways visibility.
Bike bells and horns aren’t just a fun kid’s bike accessory.
Rather, they can be an invaluable safety feature, allowing you to make yourself known to other road users when you are riding in traffic.
In particular, bike bells have a loud ring that can help you to lower the risk of accidents on the road.
You need both hands free to ride a bike safely.
So, make sure you invest in the right storage solutions for your ride – a backpack is fine, but you can also get storage that’s designed for your bike itself, like bottle racks, bike baskets, pannier backpacks and saddle bags.
Just make sure that none of the storage you add obscures your bike lights, and that it’s fitted securely.
Properly planning your route can make for a safer journey by allowing you to avoid areas with lots of fast-moving traffic. Where they are available, you can include more cycle lanes and paths.
Investing in a specialist biking GPS, a mobile phone-based app or a cycle computer can help you ensure that route planning is done automatically while allowing you to focus fully on cycling safely.
Make sure that you also invest in a robust GPS or phone holder to keep your navigation system safe, secure and in your line of sight.
HD video cameras provide similar coverage to car dash cams. As well as recording your route, allowing you to save it for prosperity or show it to others, they can record any dangerous incidents and capture poor driving skills so that you can pass footage to the police.
This can help to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
Nowadays, some bike lights – including the SeeMe Pro 360 – have HD video cameras built in, so that you don’t need to bolt on lots of extra bits to your bike which can clutter up the handlebars.
As we’ve already touched upon, there are some bicycle lighting regulations you’ll need to abide by.
Bike lights and reflectors are a legal requirement in the UK if you’re riding on the road between sunrise and sunset.
The Highway Code states:
“At night your cycle MUST have white front and red rear lights lit. It MUST also be fitted with a red rear reflector (and amber pedal reflectors, if manufactured after 1/10/85). White front reflectors and spoke reflectors will also help you to be seen. Flashing lights are permitted but it is recommended that cyclists who are riding in areas without street lighting use a steady front lamp.”
The UK’s Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations (RVLR) also state that these lights and reflectors must be clean and working properly.
Just keep in mind that bicycle lighting regulations are really the minimum requirement – going above and beyond what is required and investing in the best bike safety lights will help you to reduce your chances of incidents on the road.
Which brings us onto…
There are lots of different solutions that can help to make you more visible to the other road users around you and that go beyond simply meeting legal requirements.
Here are just a few cycling visibility solutions to consider – including both bike light solutions and other tips and tricks.
So, with all the different options available, how do you choose the best bike lights for your safety needs?
Well, the right bike safety lights for you will all depend on your bike and how you plan to use it.
For instance, the best mountain bike lights will typically be those with a high lumen output and a fixed, wide beam.
After all, the brighter your mountain bike light, the more speed, control and confidence you’ll have when taking your bike off-road in the dark.
On the other hand, the best bike light for a road or commuter bike will typically come down to cycling safety – in urban areas with lots of other road users, ensuring you can be seen from all angles will help to prevent bike accidents.
This makes 360 degree visibility bike lights and those with a flashing mode indispensable.
When you’re selecting the best bicycle safety light for your needs, here are a few questions to ask yourself.
These questions will be key to helping you hone your bike light safety.
If you plan to ride in high-traffic situations, seeking out the most advanced bicycle lights for maximum visibility in traffic is a must.
For instance, look for bicycle lights that…
These features will all boost your visibility to other road users, enhancing your safety in high-traffic environments.
The SeeMe Pro 360 bike light set offers all these features and more – marking it out as the most advanced bike light system available in the world.
One of the biggest challenges faced by cyclists – especially in urban settings – is not being seen.
Unfortunately, simply abiding by safety regulations with front and rear bike lights at night won’t necessarily ensure that you’re seen by other road users.
Rather, cars often won’t see you when they’re approaching from the side.
This is why bike lights for blind spot visibility are so important.
360 degree visibility bike lights are designed to offer all-round visibility for cyclists, making sure that they can be seen from all angles whether they’re cycling day or night – including from the side.
At SeeMe Cycle, the SeeMe Pro 360 Light Set combines high lumen LED front and rear lights with super bright LED strip lights radiating to the sides – to provide 100% side coverage.
There will always be incidents of bad driving on the roads, but the only thing we can control is how we cycle and react to situations.
With that in mind, it’s not enough just to invest in the right bike safety equipment.
You can also help to prevent cycling accidents by honing your cycling skills and developing defensive cycling techniques.
For instance:
Head over to our complete guide on how to prevent cycling accidents for more details on defensive cycling techniques and using them to reduce the chances of both falls and crashes from occurring.
Bike safety isn’t always a one-size-fits-all solution.
Rather, you’ll need to adapt your safety strategy for various weather and light conditions.
Although bike lights are a legal requirement at night, they can also help you to be seen in the daytime.
For daytime riding, you’ll need a bright light with a high lumen output of 200 lumens or more. This will increase your visibility to car drivers, even in sunny conditions.
Lights with flashing modes will also help you to catch the attention of other road users more effectively.
Wet weather conditions can make visibility especially problematic.
In this case, cyclists should take particular care to use bright lights and to wear reflective clothing.
It also pays to be particularly cautious as rainwater can create slippery road surfaces, which can lead to accidents. Braking early can help to account for longer stopping distances.
Cyclists riding in urban and rural settings will also have differing safety considerations to account for.
As an example, the safest bike lights for riding in rural areas with no street lighting are likely to be those with a high lumen output and a fixed, wide beam. These will give the best view of the road ahead and help cyclists to avoid hazards such as potholes.
On the other hand, cyclists riding in well-lit urban areas will usually need to prioritise being seen rather than seeing – making flashing lights and 360 degree visibility lights invaluable.
Yes. Bike lanes offer cyclists a dedicated space for cycling, away from motor vehicles. This reduces the risk of accidents and collisions from occurring between cyclists and other road users – and reduces the severity when they do occur.
However, extra vigilance is needed where cycle lanes cross roads and footpaths, because cyclists can become complacent from not worrying about traffic on a cycle path and other road users can be unused to cyclists on the road or footpath.
Bike safety is important because cyclists are one of the most vulnerable groups of people on our roads. In fact, more than 100 cyclists die on UK roads each year, according to Brake. Bike safety measures can help to reduce the number of accidents that occur, as well as their severity.
It’s difficult to pick just one important safety rule – but wearing a helmet is certainly one of the most important. Using lights when it’s dark or there’s poor visibility on the roads is another crucial safety rule.
The ‘M’ safety check will help you make sure your bike is safe to ride before you take it out on the road. This six-step check involves checking your bike’s:
1. Wheels
Are they tightly fitted?
Are the spokes tightly done up?
Does the tyre pressure match the recommendation on the tyre?
Do the wheels spin smoothly?
2. Saddle or seat
Is it properly tightened?
If you have a dropper seat post, does it move smoothly up and down?
3. Bike chain
Is the bike chain clean, lubricated and rust-free?
4. Pedals
Do the pedals spin smoothly?
Do they have any sideways movement? (They shouldn’t)
5. Handlebars
Are the handlebars done up tightly?
Are they straight?
6. Brakes
Does the back wheel lock up when you wheel the bike alongside you and apply the left (rear) brake lever?
Does the bike stop when you do the same and squeeze the right (front) brake?
You’ll legally need to fit front and rear lights on your bike if you’re riding between sunset and sunrise. However, you can also fit your bike with side lights to make sure you can be seen from every angle.
The SeeMe Pro 360 lights include LED strip lights that radiate to the sides to provide 100% side coverage.
As you can see, bike safety is (literally) a matter of life and death.
So, you can’t take it too seriously.
As well as riding defensively and predictably, bike safety lights and equipment can help to ensure you’re as safe as possible on the road.
That’s why we developed the SeeMe Pro 360. Alongside safety features such as built-in HD video cameras and quick-release to make sure your lights are set up correctly every time, this bike safety light set ensures that you can be seen from every angle, whether you’re riding at night or during the daytime.
So, you can be confident that you’re as protected as you can be behind the handlebars.
Keen to learn more about bicycle safety?
These external resources should be right up your cycle path!
