Bicycle Commuting in Sacramento

 

More and more people every day are riding their bicycles to work in Sacramento. The recent recession, rising gas prices, and a focus on environmental issues are likely some of the reasons for this trend. Perhaps just seeing more bicycle commuters on the roads gets others thinking that they could do the same. There are so many reasons to try a Sacramento bike commute:

  • Bicycling to work obviously saves costs on gasoline and automobile maintenance.
  • Sacramento is home to the wonderful American River Bike Trail, which is a bicycle commuter’s dream, connecting several suburbs to workplace-dense areas.
  • Exercise, fresh air and sunshine!
  • Mental health: pedaling along bike lanes and paths is more appealing than sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
  • Sacramento has perfect weather for bicycle commuting with our limited rainfall.
  • New green bike lanes – these are pretty cool, check them out here.

With all these reasons, it is hard to imagine why we are not all bike commuters. Some people are concerned about the safety of bicycle commuting. Unfortunately, due to inattentive drivers, those concerns are valid. But there are things one can do to decrease the chances of being involved in an accident.

  1. Light up your bike – install lights at the front and rear of your bicycle, especially if your commute occurs during low-light times such as dusk or dawn.
  2. Wear reflective or bright clothing.
  3. Equip your bike with side mirrors to increase your visibility.
  4. Signal when you intend to turn.
  5. Choose your route carefully – the bike trail is great, but not always possible, so choose wide streets, streets with slower traffic, and/or less-traveled back roads.
  6. Ride defensively. The best way to think of this is “ride as if invisible”.

Of course even the most careful rider could find herself involved in an accident. If this has happened to you or anyone you know, please contact the Sacramento personal injury attorneys at autoaccident.com.

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