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The Five Layers of Bicycling Safety

By Mighk Wilson, Cycling Instructor with the League of American Bicyclists

Those of us originally from colder climates know the importance of dressing in layers. The concept is that the layers complement one another, and if one of your layers fails in some way the others will still keep you from shivering or freezing. You may not have ever thought of it that way, but safe bicycling works in a similar manner.

As a club rider you already use and understand some of these layers, but you may not understand all of them. Let’s look at them in order of importance, highest to lowest.

Layer 1: Control Your Bicycle (Don't fall or collide with others)

If you can skillfully control your bike by starting, stopping, and turning properly, you will not fall down all by yourself or run into others. Do this and you cut out about half of your injury risk. As cyclists who usually ride in groups, club riders usually have good bike handling skills.

Layer 2: Follow the Rules (Don't cause traffic accidents)

Follow traffic laws, obey signs and signals, use headlights and taillights at night, and use the correct lanes for turns and through movements and you won't cause a collision with a motorist. About half of cyclist/motorist crashes are caused by cyclists who violate the basic rules of the road. But you don’t do that, right? Combine Layers 1 and 2 and you cut about 75% of your injury risk.

Layer 3: Lane Positioning (Discourage other driver's mistakes)

Knowing when to use the full lane or to share a lane is something few cyclists fully understand. Your position in a lane is the best way to make yourself conspicuous, to tell drivers what you are doing, and to discourage them from making unsafe movements. Many of these effective lane positioning principles may be contrary to what you’ve been taught! Combine Layers 1, 2 and 3 and you cut out about 99% of all potential crashes.

Layer 4: Hazard Avoidance (Avoid the other driver's mistakes)

There are evasive maneuvers you should know that can help you avoid major motorist mistakes or dodge obstacles. Knowing how to stop and turn quickly helps you avoid motorist mistakes that aren’t discouraged by lane positioning. These skills are not instinctive and must be taught.

Layer 5: Passive Safety (Protection when all else fails)

This is actually the least effective layer. Helmets and gloves protect your most vulnerable body parts as a last resort in case of the very rare failure of Layers 1 through 4, but they do nothing to help you avoid crashes.

How do you learn Layers 3 and 4? Only from a certified bicycling instructor.

Find classes in your area by clicking here: Bike Courses