Monday, February 28, 2011

Road Safety

By Carlos Jones


All the members of our family are athletic. We either bike, jog, swim, play tennis or hike. We love having an active lifestyle and be physically fit. Because we want to be active and fit all the time, we make sure that these activities are safe and sound, particularly biking or jogging on the road. We ride our bikes around the neighborhood even until the sun has set. This hobby has been our family's favorite since my son was still young. Although this was not that long ago, we didn't have any protection on. We merely sat on our bikes and rode off! However, things nowadays have changed all that.

I hate to admit it, but it's a perilous world out there - whizzing cars at ultra speed and carelessness. When in a car, practice defensive driving, that goes for biking and jogging as well. I prefer to do these activities on the back roads and hills, but they have their dangers, too. So to minimize the possibility of an injury, I insist that all family members wear a helmet, and a reflective vest, especially if the activity is at dawn, dusk or evening. Oftentimes, we avoid the road at nights.

To secure yourself on the road, you can apply further measures. Clearly the objective is to circumvent road accidents. You don't want to go unnoticed on the road, therefore a headlight on your bike will help. Helmet lights are also great because you can look at the driver to make sure he sees you. A number of countries require bells on bikes, therefore putting a horn is a sound proposal. If you have to take off, slow down so that the incoming car won't hit you. Be cautious of motorists leaving the parking lots, drive on your lane, don't drive against traffic, stay beside the car when the red light is on rather than behind it so that the other driver will know of your presence, look at your side mirror before turning and always use signals, always look behind you first before you move, and do not interweave in traffic. If you ride at night, make certain you have a headlight and a blinking taillight. Wear a vest with reflectors. Pick wide streets, streets with less traffic and alleys during weekends. Follow traffic regulations, always put your protective gear on and make sure the equipment is functioning properly, then you will be less likely to get into accidents.

A lot of the safety instructions for biking are the same for jogging Wear reflective gear, don't use headphones (this applies to biking as well), and be aware at all times of your surroundings. The smoke from the car's exhaust poses a threat to your respiratory system when you bike or jog on the road along with the traffic. You can breathe in plenty of carbon monoxide in just a short time including dust and fragments. Nevertheless, it is sometimes the only choice people have.

So the best thing to do is to protect yourself as much as you can and the one of the best ways is to make sure you are seen on the road and an orange or yellow reflective vest will provide safe visibility.




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