which is safer, riding your bicycle with traffic or against it?

Answer 1

With traffic. It gives cars more time to see you. People aren't very nimble on a bike regardless of what they think, and aren't very likely to avoid an accident without help from drivers, so that's pretty important. Since you're less likely to be hit if people have time to see you, it's also pretty important that if you're in an accident and riding into traffic, your speeds add while riding with traffic they subtract. If you're hit by a car moving 30 mph and you're riding 15, riding with traffic creates an impact speed of 15 mph while riding into traffic creates an impact speed of 45 mph. Either way you're going to hit the vehicle. At 15 you're going to be unlucky to actually break anything. At 45 your helmet might so your head so that you look great during your months of rehab (if you live). And that extra recognition time you get by riding with traffic gives inattentive drivers a better chance to brake (and gives you a better chance to turn out of the driver's path) while riding against traffic reduces both that same driver's chance to brake and makes it more difficult for you to avoid the vehicle.

One more thing-bicycles are considered vehicles in every state, which means they can only be ridden on streets, not sidewalks. Sidewalks are reserved for pedestrians and people with special needs like wheelchairs and personal mobility vehicles (like the Lark, the Rascal, Segways, etc.). People that ride bicycles on sidewalks are selfish and dangerous, and people that tell bicycle riders to do so are both of those, plus stupid.

Answer 2

You should always ride with the traffic to make it easier for the drivers to see you as they drive. Basically a bicycle has the same traffic rules as a car. Follow the same lights and signs. But if you are going really slow and are afraid of being hit, then ride on the sidewalk - just watch for pedestrians.

Answer 3

With. It is really hard for a driver to guage the change in distance between them and an approaching bicycle because it is much less substantial, the speeds are so different, and it is way too close (in the same lane) to the vehicles's path. They also are not expecting you to be there and might not see you in time with the distance closing so quickly. With you going in the same direction, they can see you ahead of time and take steps to avoid you.

P.S. Even if the law says you can, please don't ride on heavy traffic arterials! It may be legal, but it isn't smart and it's dangerous to you, to them and the vehicles around them when they try to avoid you in crowded lanes.

Answer 4

You have to ride with the traffic.

I think if you find a drunk driver that wants to run you over, it wouldn't matter, but you're supposed to ride with traffic, thats what the driver is expecting, or at least, he isn't expecting to see someone driving against them.

Also, as a cyclist, you can reach maybe, 10 or 20 mph? If a car aproaches you at 60mph, that makes a closing speed of 40 to 50 mph if you're riding with trafic, but if you're riding against it, it's a closing speed of 70 or 80 mph.

Answer 5

You ride with traffic. You have the same right aways as some in a car.

Answer 6

The rules are that you should ride with traffic, but I feel more in control riding against it. I like to see what's coming.

Answer 7

You are supposed to ride your bike with traffic, but if you are walking/running you are supposed to go against traffic i guess so the drivers can see you coming better.

Answer 8

Let's say you ride a bike at 20mph (kinda fast but I've gone a lot faster). Let's say vehicle driven by a drunk is going 35mph and is going to hit you without slowing down.

If riding AGAINST traffic: 20mph+35mph= 50mph (velocities add, think of it as you standing still and getting hit by a car doing 55mph)

If riding WITH traffic: 35mph-20mph= 15mph (velocities subtract, equivalent of standing still and getting hit by a car doing 15mph)

You should ride going WITH traffic. If you want to see what's coming behingd you, buy a mirror that attaches to your helmet or glasses or handlebars.

Answer 9

With the circulate of site visitors and interior the bicycle lane. If there is not any bicycle lane then as far to the astonishing as achieveable at an identical time as protecting on the line. The regulation relies upon on your state. I stay in florida and the regulation states as follows... any individual working a bicycle upon a roadway at decrease than the traditional speed of site visitors on the time and place and decrease than the circumstances then cutting-edge shall holiday as close as possible to the astonishing-hand cut back or edge of the roadway different than decrease than any of here circumstances ... (so as meaning with the circulate of site visitors, considering which you particularly can not holiday closest to the astonishing-hand cut back while you're going against site visitors).

Answer 10

its safer to go with traffic than against it, as you have to ride like your a vehicle and have to obey all traffic lights and signs