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Bicycle safety is the most important part of owning a bike. Below are some tips
and tricks to keep both you and your bike safe from harm.
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- 75% of all bicycle-related injuries and deaths are caused by head injuries. Helmets help protect against 80-85% of head injuries.
- Bicyclists hospitalized with head injuries are 20 times more likely to die.
- Visibility ? You?re easier to see, especially if your helmet has reflectors on it.
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- Make sure your helmet fits your head. Try it on before you buy it. Make sure it can fit snugly and won?t move around if you push it gently with your hand.
- Wear your helmet the right way. Wear it low on your forehead just above your eyebrows and ALWAYS fasten the chin strap firmly.
- Look for D-rings on the chin strap or a top quality buckle that won?t break or bend easily.
- Look for the Snell Foundation certification sticker. The Snell Foundation continuously tests helmets to make sure they?re safe and only puts these stickers on helmets that are good quality.
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- ALWAYS wear a helmet!
- Obey traffic signs and signals.
- Ride on the right-hand side of the street, with the flow of traffic.
- Use hand signals before you stop or turn to make sure drivers know what you are going to do.
- Stop before entering the street from a driveway or sidewalk.
- Slow down, look and listen when you come to a corner. Walk your bike across busy intersections and streets.
- Give cars and pedestrians the right-of-way.
- Avoid broken pavement, litter, loose gravel, mud or leaves. These can cause you to slip and lose control of your bike.
- Don?t ride alone after dark or if the weather is bad.
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In 2007, we had 80 bikes reported stolen in Moorhead with a reported value of approximately $10,000.
Click here to see where the bike thefts occurred. To increase your chances of
having your bike returned to you if it is found, please consider registering your bike with the National
Bike Registry. The National Bike Registry offers four types
of registration:
- $10 to cover a bike for 10 years.
- $25 to cover a bike for 30 years. When you replace your bike, contact NBR for a new label and certificate.
- $25 Family Registration to cover up to five bikes at a single address for 10 years.
- 99 cent stolen bike registry. If your bike is ever stolen, for 99 cents you can register it after it?s been stolen for up to six months.
If you decide not to register your bike with NBR, please take the time to fill out this Bicycle Information Checklist so that if your bike is ever lost or stolen you can give
the police a very good description of it.
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Periodically, the Moorhead Police Department hosts Bike Rodeos at locations in Moorhead.
Bike Rodeos are events at which MPD bike officers teach the young bike rider how to follow
the rules of the road and proper helmet fitting.
Upcoming Bike Rodeo/Safety Seminars
Meritcare will be conducting a bike rodeo on April 12 at Scheel's in Fargo from 12-3pm.
Check out the fun games available at
http://www.dot.state.pa.us/BIKE/WEB/games.htm to learn more about bike safety and rules of the road.
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