Oxford Cycling Club

Safety

General Instructions

Nothing is more important than your Safety on any ride!

Take personal responsibility for making sure you pay attention to these safety details and understand them.

Safety Briefing
There are many precedents for serious injuries or fatalities on organized rides like ours. None of us want this to happen. We want everyone to finish without a scratch.

You are the only person who can guarantee your safety.
You are the only person who can make sure you don't get seriously injured.

Stay focused. Check yourself every few minutes to see if you're really paying attention to what's around you. Most accidents happen because someone is not paying attention to surroundings. Be constantly aware of cyclists and motorists behind, in front and beside you. If there are riders behind you and you do something without warning, you may cause an accident.

Helmets are required and must be properly fastened. Helmets should be parallel to the ground, not on the back of your head like a baseball cap, with the strap snug around your chin.

What The Law Says:

A bicycle is a vehicle with the same privileges and restrictions as a car.

Bicycles must obey all traffic laws, traffic signals, and stop signs.

Bicycles must ride with traffic, not against it.

Bicyclists must use hand signals to indicate their intentions for turning and stopping.

Road Positioning:

Ride as far to the right of your lane as is safe.

Ride in a straight line as much as possible.

This is so motorists and cyclists can see how far to the left they have to go to get past you safely.

Don't pass cars on the right at red lights.

Passing on the right is illegal; it also forces cars to pass you again after the light turns green.

Ride Defensively:

Assume that drivers can't see you.

Be on the lookout for a person in the driver's seat of any parked cars you are about to pass.

They might open their door suddenly, or pull out into traffic without checking for bicycles.

Always stop and look "Left-Right-Left" before entering or crossing traffic.

Watch out for oncoming cars that turn left in front of cyclists when crossing an intersection.

Motorists underestimate the speed of bicycles and believe they can beat them to the intersection.

Watch out for cars that pass you, then cut you off by making an immediate right turn.

Be especially cautious of this when approaching a parking lot while in heavy traffic.

Be careful of making sudden turns or movements.

Drivers and other cyclists cannot read your mind.

Riding In A Group

When you pass other riders, always pass on the left and let them know.

Call out, "On your left!" before you pass. Never pass on the right.
Passing on the right can force the other rider into traffic. Do not pass anyone without letting them know. If YOU are passing another cyclist, it YOUR responsibility to be sure that it is safe for you to move further left into the lane.

Ride single file and keep a straight line at all times. Do not weave back and forth across the lane.

Pay attention to cyclists around you.

When stopping in a group, use the open-palm-down signal to tell the riders behind you that you are about to stop.

When stopping suddenly, you may not be able to take one hand off the handlebars. In this case, call out "Stopping!" or "Slowing!"

Call out anything unexpected in the road, like bumps, potholes, gravel, twigs/branches, broken glass, or "road kill" to the riders immediately behind you.

Let the people around you know any information that will make their ride safer.

When a car is approaching from the rear, call out, "Car BACK!"

When a car is approaching from the front, call out, "Car UP!"
When a car is approaching from the side, call out, "Car LEFT!" or, "Car RIGHT!"

Don't be a hazard to yourself and everyone else.

Wait until it is safe to make any adjustments to clipless pedals, water bottles, gears, or stuff in your jersey.

Riding in a group is different from riding alone.

Your riding behavior affects those around you. Conscientiously look out for your own safety as well as the safety of the other members of your group. It's part of what cycling as a group is all about.

Remember: In any accident with an automobile, YOU LOSE!

Dehydration

Source: Wikipedia.
Dehydration symptoms generally become noticeable after 2% of one's normal water volume has been lost. The body cannot tolerate large deficits or excesses in total body water, consumption of water must be roughly concurrent with the loss (in other words, if one is perspiring, one should also be drinking water frequently).

Aim for five sips every five miles.

Hyponatremia

Did you know that too much water can be fatal? Overdrinking, whether it's water or a sports drink, can lead to hyponatremia, which means abnormally low blood sodium levels. That is the news from a study titled Hyponatremia Among Runners in the Boston Marathon, published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Though the study was performed on runners, hyponatremia is a condition that can occur during any strenuous exercise--including bicycling.

Still, dehydration is far more common than hyponatremia among endurance athletes.

Albert Einstein said "make things as simple as possible, but no simpler." To adapt his aphorism to bicycling, "drink as much water as you need, but no more."

Road Rage

If you are abused by a motorist, be sure to get his or her license plate number. Also record all details of the incident: location, date and time, road conditions, make and model of vehicle, and description of driver if possible. Send this information to the Club email listed at the bottom of this page. We will collect this information and compile statistics on it. We may also request your permission to forward certain cases to the proper legal authorities.

Getting Started - Again

If you are just getting back on the bike, here are a few tips and tricks to make riding most enjoyable:

Safety check your bicycle.

Look at the cables for the brakes. Any signs of fraying? If so, replace the cables.

Check the brake shoes. Are they really worn? Brake shoes are not very expensive, and are pretty easy to replace.

A dirty, gritty chain reduces your performance by 10 to 15%! Clean the chain with a chain cleaning tool kit, or take it to your local bike shop.

How are the tires? Any nicks or cuts? Always carry an extra tube and patch kit.

Anything loose or out of adjustment? Fixing these problems is a lot easier at home than on the road.

January and February are the best times to take your bike to your local bike shop for its annual tuneup. Drop it off during the week and it should be ready by the weekend. Once Daylight Saving Time starts, the bike shops get pretty busy so turnaround times can be longer. Plus, with daylight in the evening, you are losing valuable riding time.

Pump up those tires! Tire pressure is a safety issue: If the tire is not pumped up correctly it does not protect the rim. If you hit a bump, you might get a pinch flat. This can cause a blow out. Very inconvenient at high speeds.

Mississippi Laws Relating to Bicycles

The use of any controlled access facility by pedestrians, bicycles, hitchhikers, ridden or herded animals and animal drawn vehicles is prohibited.

Source: Minutes of Meeting of Highway Commission, April 14, 1970.

MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972
As Amended
SEC. 63-3-207. Applicability of chapter to persons riding bicycles or animals or driving animal-drawn vehicles.
Every person riding a bicycle or an animal or driving any animal drawing a vehicle upon a highway shall have all of the rights and all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle under this chapter, except those provisions of this chapter which by their nature can have no application.
SOURCES: Codes, 1942, Sec. 8149; Laws, 1938, ch. 200; 1983, ch. 350, Sec. 2, eff from and after July 1, 1983.

As Amended
SEC. 63-3-603. Driving on roadways laned for traffic.
(e) Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than two (2) abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles. Persons riding two (2) abreast shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic and, on a laned roadway, shall ride within a single lane.
SOURCES: Codes, 1942, Sec. 8187; Laws, 1938, ch. 200; 1977, ch. 321, Sec. 1; 1983, ch. 350, Sec. 3, eff from and after July 1, 1983.

As Amended
SEC. 63-7-13. Requirements as to lighting equipment.
(4) Lamps on bicycles. Every bicycle shall be equipped with a lighted white lamp on the front thereof visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of at least five hundred feet in front of such bicycle and shall also be equipped with a reflex mirror reflector or lamp on the rear exhibiting a red light visible under like conditions from a distance of at least five hundred feet to the rear of such bicycle.
SOURCES: Codes, 1942, Sec. 8229-01; Laws, 1938, ch. 200; 1948, ch. 343, Sec. 9; 1956, ch. 381; 1968, ch. 543, Sec. 1, eff from and after passage (approved May 15, 1968).

As Amended
SEC. 63-7-65. Horns and other warning devices.
(3) No vehicle shall be equipped with nor shall any person use upon a vehicle any siren, whistle, or bell, except as otherwise permitted in this section. No bicycle shall be equipped with nor shall any person use upon a bicycle any siren or whistle.
SOURCES: Codes, 1942, Sec. 8250; Laws, 1938, ch. 200; 1994, ch. 324, Sec. 1, eff from and after July 1, 1994

SEC. 63-3-1112. Duty of driver to avoid collision with pedestrian or person propelling human-powered vehicle; warning signal.
Notwithstanding other provisions of this chapter or the provisions of any local ordinance, every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian or any person propelling a human-powered vehicle and shall give an audible signal when necessary and shall exercise proper precaution upon observing any child or any obviously confused, incapacitated or intoxicated person.
SOURCES: Laws, 1983, ch. 350, Sec. 6, eff from and after July 1, 1983

Source of data for this website is here (.pdf, 13.2 KB).

Director's Guide

Before Ride Day
Be familiar with the route. If you haven’t been on this route recently, either ride or drive it to make sure there are no unpleasant surprises (like washed out bridges or gravel sections. Plan where you would like the group to assemble. Note useful landmarks.

Take to the Ride

Your bike and helmet

Cue sheets and/or maps (if available)

A cell phone

Enthusiasm

Before the Ride
Be at the starting point at least 10 minutes early.

Ensure that all participants who are not current club members sign the ride release, and that any participating minors’ parents/guardians sign the separate “Parental Consent Form”.

Verify that all participants are wearing helmets.

State the ride speed, distance, terrain and structure.

Tightly structured = riders stay within sight of each other (ride as a pack) and/or assemble frequently, like at the tops of significant hills.
Loosely structured = the ride will assemble periodically.
Unstructured = riders will not be formally assembled after the start.

State that if a rider cannot maintain the ride’s advertised pace he or she may have to be dropped, and that an effort will be made to notify a rider before he or she is dropped.

Encourage riders to obey traffic laws

Stop at red lights and stop signs
Use hand signals
Ride single-file when in traffic

Encourage good rider etiquette

Notify other riders of traffic: “car up” or “car back”
Notify other riders of your actions “on your left”, "slowing", “stopping”, etc.
Notify other riders of road problems “bad grate”, “gravel”, etc.
Ride predictably: pass only on the left, don’t make sudden turns, etc.

Count bikes (not riders—you may have some tandems!)

Establish lead and sweep riders. (On unstructured rides, you do not need a lead, and you should ride sweep.)

State the first assembly point.

During the Ride

Wait at the first assembly point for the sweep rider, then state the next assembly point, and mention any important details about the upcoming section (dogs, gravel, blind turns, ambiguous intersections, etc.).

If a rider cannot maintain the ride’s advertised pace, explain to him or her that for the benefit of the other riders you need to maintain the pace, make sure he or she can find the way back, and move on.

If a rider has terminal mechanical failure, take reasonable measures to ensure that he or she will be able to get home. This may mean driving back after the ride, or calling someone from the nearest public phone. Make sure you and the rider agree on a strategy.

If a rider is injured and unable to ride, get medical help. Ensure that he or she will be able to get home. If the injury is severe, take the rider to a hospital.

On two-lane roads with traffic and infrequent or short passing opportunities, break the group up into sets of approximately four riders, with enough space between sets that a car can pass one set at a time. Explain this at an assembly point.

Count riders at each assembly point. If any do not show up in a reasonable time, send someone back for them. Take any appropriate action.

After the Ride

Count riders. When the sweep rider arrives, all should be accounted for. If not, wait awhile. They may show up in a few minutes. If they don't, ride or drive the route backwards, watching and possibly inquiring along the way. Lastly, call their home phone. (They may have gotten by you somehow.) If they’re not home, ask that they call you when they get in.

Check in with riders. Did everyone have a good time? Does anyone have comments that would be useful?

Resources

Much of this information comes from www.blueridgebicycleclub.org