Night Bike Riders At Risk
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Night Bike Riders At Risk
CPSC Document #5003
To help reduce nighttime bicyclist fatalities, cyclists should
always wear a good helmet, use front and rear lights and
reflectors, and wear reflective clothing. Children should never
ride at night, and cyclists should avoid riding on unlighted,
narrow roadways.
Because of a sharp increase in the number of bicyclist fatalities
resulting from car-bike collisions at night, the U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission has issued a warning to bike riders to
take necessary steps to make themselves and their bicycles more
visible at night.
The number of bicyclists killed at night has increased from 304
to 372 per year. In 1975, the number of nighttime deaths
accounted for 30% of the total number of bicyclists killed. By
1982 (the latest year for which complete data are available),
nighttime deaths accounted for 42% of the total number of
bicyclists killed. One factor contributing to fatal nighttime
bicyclist accidents is that the bicycles and riders are not
readily visible to motorists. Motorists involved in car/bicycle
collisions report that they hit bicyclists because the bicycles
and riders were not visible. Cyclists' failure to wear protective
helmets may have also contributed to the severity of head
injuries suffered in car-bike collisions.
Therefore, CPSC recommends the following actions to cyclists:
1. Be sure your bike has reflectors required on all new
bicycles by the CPSC bicycle regulation. Each bike should have
front and rear reflectors, pedal reflectors, and side rim or
wheel reflectors. Use front and rear lights (as required in many
States) to help make your bicycle more noticeable to cars at
night. Small battery-operated lamps strapped to your legs also
help.
2. Wear reflective clothing to make yourself more visible to
automobile drivers. Wear a reflective vest, reflective bands on
arms and legs, and reflectorized tape on helmet.
3. Always wear a good helmet with a rigid (but crushable)
interior material which may help absorb the force of an impact.
(This is important for daytime riding, too.)
4. Never allow children to ride at night.
5. Avoid riding on dark, narrow roadways where the posted
speed limit is more than 35 mph.
For more information on bicycle safety, consumers should call the
CPSC Toll-Free Hotline on 800-638-CPSC. A teletypewriter
for hearing-impaired consumers is 800-638-8270.
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