Bicycle Tip:
WHO SHOUTED "CLEAR"?
by Mike
Beadles
"Bicycling
Safety" - these are two powerful words when put together. It could
mean the difference between life and death. "Bicycling Safety"
can be improved by implementing any or all of the four E's: Engineering,
Enforcement, Encouragement, and Education. There is only one "E"
that I can personally make a positive impact by using it immediately.
That one is Education. I am a League of American Bicyclists Certified
Instructor, and if I can make a positive impact with a few words, then
my job is done at this moment. (I am finding that Education is a constant
task, however!)
My topic right now is to attempt to keep other cyclists from shouting
"Clear!" when crossing an intersection with a group of fellow
cyclists. While it is okay to shout "Car Left!" or "Car
Right!" at intersections to make your fellow riders MORE aware,
it is NEVER okay to shout "Clear!" Here is why.
Let's think about this for a minute. Why did the lead rider shout "Clear"?
Obviously to signal to the folks around them that the intersection is
"safe" to enter. Really??? Safe? Do YOU really want to trust
another person with YOUR personal safety? And on the other hand, as
the lead rider, do YOU want to take personal responsibility for the
safety of others? I would like to think that the answer to both of these
questions would be a resounding "NO!" What if you shout "Clear!"
and the tenth person behind you gets hit by a car that was not a threat
when you entered the intersection as the lead rider? You would feel
pretty shaken up! I would!
Look at this issue another way. What does shouting "Clear!"
do? It allows those who hear it to be "LESS aware" which is
an unsafe thing to do as a cyclist. There are three things we must be
at all times - aware, MORE aware, and EVEN MORE aware! It is YOUR responsibility
to be on the lookout for YOUR safety at all times!
So, have you bought into the fact that people should not shout "Clear!"
anymore at intersections? I hope so. Now the question is, "How
do you convince other riders (who haven't read this article) that shouting
'Clear!' is not a good idea?" It's very simple, use these "LESS
aware" versus "MORE aware" explanation and explain the
reasons why, and hopefully you can convince them. It's not rocket science.
I've also had one person tell me recently that when they hear someone
shout "Clear!" they immediately shout "Splat!",
which I find a rather humorous way to deal with this issue! Remember,
be careful out there.....
Mike Beadles
LAB Certified Instructor #875
(originally published in the April 2002 Activity News)
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