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Whether you are a bicycle commuter, racer, casual rider, or messenger it is easy to get hurt or killed riding your bicycle in the city. You can greatly alter your odds of remaining whole and healthy depending on how and where you ride, and how much you know about what to watch out for.

I have been on my bike nearly every day the last thirty two years, so I have some experience. I have six years as a NYC bike messenger under my belt as well as some racing and a lot of commuting. I have seen friends crippled and killed on their bikes, and this is written in the hope of keeping more of you from that fate.

1)The main principle is to ride like you should play chess; continually asking yourself "what/where is the threat?" Assume every driver will do the worst stupidest most dangerous thing next. You will be right often enough to make it worth your while. Think ahead to what several events might endanger you "If that car across the street opens its door the oncoming car will swerve and the car on my side will swerve to avoid it...into me..."

2)Ride on the street if at all possible. The sidewalk may seem safer but you are in fact five times as likely to find yourself in the hospital riding there. If you are going to ride on the sidewalk then ride slowly. Come to a full stop at every intersection and driveway and assume no driver sees you. Drivers are far less likely to see you if you are on the sidewalk than if you are on the street, which is why you are more likely to get hit.

3)Always keep your hands on the handlebars. You may think it looks cool to ride along with your hands off but it also means you cannot react nearly as fast to the hundreds of things that can happen. Some pedestrian suddenly runs out into the street without looking, happens all the time, and you can be very badly hurt.

4)To avoid being run over from behind, your best shot at being killed, you want to be as predictable as possible and as visible as possible. Predictable and visible are two very important principles of safe riding. This means that you should avoid the temptation to swerve if you can and ride straight instead. If there is a largish gap between parked cars many riders swerve towards the curb and then back when they reach the next parked car. It feels safer to be away from the cars more but you are increasing your odds of being hit from behind when you swerve back around that next car. In some cities many bicyclists swerve around manhole covers. Maybe they will give you a slight bump,

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