Skill Building – Looking Back
Posted by: ScottSep 05 2006, 11:31 am
Vehicle operators must communicate with others on the road. As a bicyclist, you will use communication a lot because you are vulnerable and want to make sure that cars don't bump you.
Looking back is probably the most important skill that a bicyclist needs in order to communicate with vehicles approaching from the rear. Looking back done right:
> allows you to monitor the traffic behind you
> alerts vehicles behind that you might change your cycling path
> triggers a response from motorists to slow down to allow a bicyclist to merge.
Practice Looking Back
1) Ride with 1 Hand – practice riding with your left hand on your hip.
2) Look back and Go Straight – pick up a little speed and look back while going straight. One-handed riding allows you to open your body and not turn the handlebars.
3) Use your Hand Signal – from this position you can use a hand signal to indicate a merge.
Riding with one-hand makes a bicyclist sit up more, the change in riding position will alert motorists that you are going to change your behavior. Now you can make eye contact with the motorist and merge in to traffic.
This technique truly makes difficult traffic merges easy.
(Photos courtesy of Dan Lerch Walters)
Another skill to consider learning is use of a rear-view mirror. The most useful type seems to be the kind that you can mount either on your glasses or helmet. Head-mounted mirrors allow you to take a sweeping glance of the road behind without having to move your handlebars, and they offer the least amount of image vibration. After commuting for almost a year now, I just got my first mirror ever, and my anxiety level during left-merge or left-turn maneuvers has plummeted!
Make no mistake: there is no substitute for a skillful head-turn to confirm that there is nothing there, and to communicate with drivers. Having a mirror, however, gives me a 'bigger picture' of what is going on behind and has greatly reduced the number of head-turns I need to make; I don't know how I got along without it!
Good point. A mirror is very helpful. I would say however that I've had better luck with the bigger mirrors that attach to the bar-end. Don't get a cheap one though; the cheap variety are not as stable and the glass is not shaped as well. I had great luck with a Rhode Gear model, until I broke it of course. I use a helmet mirror now, but will likely go back.
I frequently ride along the bike path on SE Clinton– I want to thank all fellow bicylists for giving up a little or a lot of momentum and stopping at all stop signs– especially those heading north and south. You are credit to bicyclists and biking safety. Thank you