The 3 Best Safety Tips for Riding a Bike on Rural Roads

Photo of a man on a bicycleRiding a bike on rural roads can be an incredibly beautiful and rewarding experience, but it does come with some added risk. Since you are often far away from hospitals and other people who could potentially help you in the event of a bicycle accident, it is even more important that you be cautious when riding in the backwoods.

3 Safety Tips for Cycling in Rural Areas

Here are some bicycle safety tips we think would be most helpful to you if you plan on riding a bike on rural roads.

Grow Eyes in the Back of Your Head – It’s important to regularly check for cars and other vehicles that may be coming up from behind you. Every time you come up on a driveway or intersection, check behind you to make sure there isn’t a car setting you up for a right hook (when a car passes a cyclist then turns to the right soon after, hitting the approaching cyclist).

Watch Out for Winding Roads – The roads in rural areas are often a little windier than those on the city’s grid. This makes it harder for drivers to see you, and more likely to hit you when coming around a corner. Always be on the lookout for approaching vehicles and never assume that they can see you.

Also, drivers on rural, winding roads often dip into the oncoming lane when turning if they think there’s no cars coming. Unlike in the city where it’s best to take a full lane, it may be safer to ride further to the side when cycling outside the city.

Don’t Stop on a Rural Road – It’s not safe at all to take a break while still on the road. The best practice is to find a high-visibility area a little way off the road to avoid an accident with an inattentive driver or a motorist that doesn’t see you when they come around a corner.

Do you have any tips of your own you’d like to share? Feel free to comment below or share on our Facebook or Twitter page.



Tags: ,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.