Bicycling Program to Create More Confident Bicyclists

Most bicycle training out there targets bicyclists who may need help getting back to riding on two wheels, or those for whom their last bicycling experience was back in school. However, one program offered by the American Bicycling Education Association aims at helping bicyclists become more confident bicyclists, and empowering them to share the roads equally with other users.

The Cycling Savvy program is a course designed by the American Bicycling Education Association, and is available across the country, including in the Southern California region. The Cycling Savvy program consists of three components. Each component lasts for about three hours each. The components include a class session, where a person is taken through the theoretical aspects of safe driving, a bike handling session usually conducted in a parking lot and where a person learns to understand his bicycle in depth, as well as an on-road tour which takes place in a more learning-based environment.

The point is not to make bicyclists aggressive. The aim of the program is to empower bicyclists, and make them strong enough to handle many of the challenges that they can expect to face while riding.

Many bicyclists have a fear of riding in certain situations, like when they suddenly enter an intersection with a lot of traffic, or when a motorist rides too close to them. In all these cases, there are steps you can take to keep your cool and handle the situation safely and responsibly. Cycling Savvy Study aims to polish your riding, and instill confidence so that you can handle any adverse situation with ease.

You can find a Cycling Savvy course in the California region too. Simply log on to the Cycling Savvy website, and look for a program near you.

How Technology Can Keep Bicyclists Safer

The reality is sobering. Even as the number of people killed in car accidents across the past decade has dropped and even as traffic accident fatalities dropped in 2013, the number of people killed in bicycle accidents continues to rise. Clearly, there’s more that we could be doing to keep more bicyclists safe.

Fortunately, many automakers are now tapping on technology to reduce the risk of accidents involving cars and bicyclists. Jaguar Land Rover, for instance, is currently experimenting with a project on bicycle safety. Recently, the automaker released the results from a study that specifically looked at how motorists can be encouraged to respond to bicycles in the shortest possible time. In the Bike Sense program, the system uses a combination of lights and sounds, or vibrations that alert the driver when he is at risk of hitting a bicycle. For example, when the motorist opens the car door, and is in danger of injuring a speeding cyclist, the door handle will vibrate to alert the driver.

This is not the first time that an automaker has experimented with technology to help reduce the risk of accidents involving pedestrians and bicyclists. In 2013, Volvo introduced its Cyclist Detection system that includes a combination of sensors and a camera in the rearview mirror to warn a motorist of a pedestrian or bicyclist in his path. The system automatically applies the brakes, if it detects a pedestrian or bicyclist. The technology is currently available on 7 Volvo automobiles.

Volvo, already a front-runner in technology that is geared at keeping pedestrians and bicyclists safer, has now teamed up with a Swedish company and Ericsson to enable cars and bicycles to committee to each other.

The future of bicycle safety definitely lies in technology. If you have been injured in a bicycle accident, you could recover compensation for your damages. Speak to a California bicycle accident attorney.