The Safety Myth, revisited

The Safety Myth, by the Lazy Randonneur, has been an interesting read. As a bicycle safety instructor, I think about my own safety, the safety of my students and the example I set for folks a fair bit. As a bicycle commuter, I am compelled to deal with the idea that negative outcomes can be a reality, and I must do what I can to mitigate the risks so as to avoid those negative outcomes to the extent I can justify.

A several of caveats, here: 1) When it's below 50F, I'm probably wearing a jacket made of IllumiNITE, unless I expect rain, in which case I'm likely to be wearing a "don't you effing DARE hit me" yellow rain jacket by Endura, which also has reflective spots on it here and there.I figure I'm going to wear the jackets already, so they may as well be easier to see, since I often ride in low-light situations. I'm not able to honestly berate anyone for "dressing like a traffic cone," as some riders like to do.

2) When I walk the dog, I often wear a vest with highly reflective stripes. Our neighborhood gets used as a cut-through between Washburn Avenue and Lyndon Lane, and those motorists rarely observe (or care about) the 25-MPH speed limit or the stop sign seventy feet from my mailbox. Making myself easier to see at night is part of my effort to let them know that there is more to the neighborhood than their access to another street (which probably falls on deaf, or more likely obtuse, ears).

3) I am alive because I was wearing a motorcycle helmet at a key moment in my life, but that key moment would have been far less treacherous had I done a better job of controlling the motorcycle I was riding. Fully cognizant of this, I wear a helmet when I ride bicycles, in part because I like having that modicum of cranial protection afforded by the piece of Styrofoam atop my head. As an instructor, I wear one (properly adjusted) to set an example. I'm also compelled to wear one when acting as a Club officer and when participating in Club rides, due to our Club's insurance policies (and yes, I dislike how insurance companies run our country). It also happens to be a convenient place for my rear view mirror (a locally-produced mirror, at that).

4) I'm known for being fairly safety-conscious. I encourage use of eye protection more often than typical folks (don't ask me why you hear a voice of experience...), I acted as a Safety Adviser in at least two workplaces. On a youth camping/canoeing trip on which I was an adult volunteer, I was mildly kidded for being "safety guy," after a few days of being perhaps more watchful than was necessary.

In the roughly forty thousand miles I've ridden on bicycles over the last twenty years, I've not done a helmet test. Yes, I've fallen from my bikes--three or four times. Yes, at least two of those falls were my own stupid fault and nobody else could be blamed. In all cases, the minor injuries I suffered were to: a knee (once), some skin near my ischial tuberosity (one other time), and my over-inflated ego (each time). This is not to say I'm any manner of superman--quite the opposite, actually. I'm not an overly-timid rider, but I don't ride recklessly, either. My point is that cycling is pretty safe, especially when compared to other fairly mundane activities. I'm not but so sure I really need a helmet most of the time.

A helmet is an object of last resort, and when one needs that helmet, one doesn't have time to say, "Wait! Let me don my Skid Lid(tm)!" However, simply wearing a helmet does not make one safe. Taking The Lazy Rando's definition of safety (lack of significant negative outcome) as workable, I find that one's attitude is far more effective, and that wearing a helmet as part of that attitude is the only way the helmet can do any good whatsoever.

In The Safety Myth, Vik discusses mitigating risk versus increasing safety (the latter being far harder to quantify). He talks about how one can focus on specific risks one faces as a cyclist, and take appropriate action to mitigate them. Doing things like riding a street two blocks to one side of the larger road to be dealing with slower traffic, choosing lane position to be more visible to overtaking road users, or riding the bus on his rare very-low-visibility days is more sensible to him than paying $300 extra for a dozen blinky lights all over the bike.

Let's face it. No matter how many flashers and reflectors I mount on my bike, some twit motorist is going to tell me he couldn't see me. It's happened. I suspect that those same motorists would have trouble seeing an ambulance in full "I've got to get there to help your neighbor five minutes ago!" mode. Someone who will not see won't see me (and despite that you and I agree that such a person has no business at the wheel of a motor vehicle, society apparently disagrees--we keep letting such idjits drive).

Part of the point is that bicycle use is pretty safe, when it comes down to it. A couple years ago, a short quiz popped up online that gives us a sense of how safe cycling really is. The answers may surprise you, or may not.

More random thoughts in a couple of days...