Rules of the Road
Bicyclists share road space with motorists and must maintain constant situational awareness for their safety and the safety of others. Check out this League of American Bicyclists Video about Rules of the Road.
Safety Checks
We “borrowed” this clever video from Nova Scotia because, apparently, Canadians have a better sense of humor than Kentuckians – but its serious stuff!
Bike Smart
Bike Smart is an excellent video from the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency. It is especially useful for young, new, or returning riders. View Video.
Safety and Education
Safety and Education
Advocating for Safety and helping to Educate Bicyclists and Motorists are important BGLOB Goals. Our Safety and Education Committee is a standing committee working with local and state government to achieve those goals.
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If you would like to be part of this effort please email us at bglob.ky@gmail.com.
What to Do in Case of a Bike Accident
WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF BIKE ACCIDENT
NOTICE: All bike accidents are different and providing a step-by-step guide is not reasonable. On-site observation and feedback from the injured person takes precedence. It is important for someone not emotionally connected to the injured take charge. Chaos can only make matters worse.
1) Secure the area. Make sure the injured person is out of danger from additional injury, due to traffic, other bicyclists, weather, animals, etc.
2) Assess the injury. CALMLY talk with the injured person. Most likely done by someone not emotionally connected to the injured.
- If s/he is coherent and alert, ask them to self-examine, i.e. what hurts, BEFORE moving anything. The injured person (assuming not a minor) is competent to make decisions. Ask what type of medical treatment they want.
- If s/he acts confused, is not coherent, has lost consciousness(even for a few seconds), or is in obvious pain, call 911. DO NOT MOVE the person. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REMOVE his/her helmet. CALMLY reassure the injured that s/he should remain still until help arrives. A calm reassuring voice can reduce potential of injured going into shock.
- If s/he is unconscious and not breathing, call 911. Stabilize the head, carefully tilt backward slightly, and check air way for obstructions. Initiate CPR.
- If s/he is bleeding excessively, call 911and then apply pressure directly to the point of blood flow.
3) Contact the authorities. Police or sheriff.
4) Provide critical information to EMTs and authorities. Name and emergency contacts for the injured, a description of the accident, and the behavior of the injured post-accident. If injured agrees to be transported to an emergency center, find out where.
5) Call the injured’s emergency contacts (check Road ID or their phone). Tell them where they can find the injured, either at the accident site or at the emergency center.
6) Get witness or participant comments/contact information. Take photos of accident site and of any agent involved in the accident. Get ID of any police report.
Why Hydration is Important
- Water Protects Your Tissues, Spinal Cord, and Joints
Water does more than just quench your thirst and regulate your body’s temperature; it keeps the tissues in your body moist, according to the Mayo Clinic Health System. You know how it feels when your eyes, nose, or mouth gets dry? Keeping your body hydrated helps it retain optimum levels of moisture in these sensitive areas, as well as in the blood, bones, and brain. In addition, water helps protect the spinal cord, and it acts as a lubricant and cushion for your joints.
Water Helps Your Body Remove Waste
Adequate water intake enables your body to excrete waste through perspiration, urination, and defecation. Water helps your kidneys remove waste from your blood and keep the blood vessels that run to your kidneys open and filter them out, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Water is also important for helping prevent constipation, points out the University of Rochester Medical Center. However, as research notes, there is no evidence to prove that increasing your fluid intake will cure constipation.
Water Aids in Digestion
Water is important for healthy digestion. As the Mayo Clinic explains, water helps break down the food you eat, allowing its nutrients to be absorbed by your body. After you drink, both your small and large intestines absorb water, which moves into your bloodstream and is also used to break down nutrients. As your large intestine absorbs water, stool changes from liquid to solid, according to the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Water is also necessary to help you digest soluble fiber, per MedlinePlus. With the help of water, this fiber turns to gel and slows digestion.
Water Prevents You From Becoming Dehydrated
Your body loses fluids when you engage in vigorous exercise, sweat in high heat, or come down with a fever or contract an illness that causes vomiting or diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you’re losing fluids for any of these reasons, it’s important to increase your fluid intake so that you can restore your body’s natural hydration level. Your doctor may also recommend that you drink more fluids to help treat other health conditions, like bladder infections and urinary tract stones. If you’re pregnant or nursing, you may want to consult with your physician about your fluid intake because your body will be using more fluids than usual, especially if you’re breastfeeding.
Water Helps Your Brain Function Optimally
Ever feel foggy headed? Take a sip of water. Research shows that dehydration is a drag to memory, attention, and energy, per a small study on adult men from China published in June 2019 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. It’s no wonder, considering H2O makes up 75 percent of the brain, the authors point out. One reason for that foggy-headed feeling? “Adequate electrolyte balance is vital to keeping your body functioning optimally. Low electrolytes can cause issues including muscle weakness, fatigue, and confusion,” says Gabrielle Lyon, DO, a functional medicine physician in New York City.
Water Keeps Your Cardiovascular System Healthy
Water is a huge part of your blood. (For instance, plasma — the pale yellow liquid portion of your blood — is about 90 percent water, notes Britannica.) If you become dehydrated, your blood becomes more concentrated, which can lead to an imbalance of the electrolyte minerals it contains (sodium and potassium, for example), says Susan Blum, MD, founder of the Blum Center for Health in Rye Brook, New York. These electrolytes are necessary for proper muscle and heart function. “Dehydration can also lead to lower blood volume, and thus blood pressure, so you may feel light-headed or woozy standing up,” she says.
Water Can Help You Eat Healthier
It may be plain, but it’s powerful. In a study of more than 18,300 American adults, people who drank just 1 percent more water a day ate fewer calories and less saturated fat, sugar, sodium, and cholesterol, according to a study published in February 2016 in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. Water may help fill you up, especially if you drink it before eating a meal, a notion that was backed up in a small study of 15 young, healthy participants that was published in October 2018 in Clinical Nutrition Research.
Additional reporting by Jen Laskey.
Do You Know Your ABC’s?
Do You Know Your ABC’s?
A is for Air – Check your tires before you ride – every time! Make sure you know the tire pressure for your bike – a road bike needs more than a hybrid to perform properly!
B is for Brakes – check the break levers and pads – recenter them if need be. Riding 50 meters before you take off to check your breaks is a lot smarter than testing them when you need them ten minutes later!
C is for Chains (and chain rings, shifters – all that stuff you paid good money for) – is it on properly – adjusted – lubricated; and are the shifters smooth.
Share the Road for Bicyclists
Share the Road for Bicyclists
- Obey all traffic rules – cyclists have a right to the roads and a responsibility to obey traffic rules.
- Ride with traffic – never against it.
- Be predictable – use arm and hand signals and make eye contact with drivers.
- Use front and rear lights – and bright clothing.
- Always – Always – wear a helmet.
- Know the dangers of sidewalk riding. Its not safe for you, pedestrians, or motorists. Many of our Greenways double as sidewalks – be respectful and share.
- Don’t ride distracted. Its way cool to put in your earbuds and listen to your tunes – it may also mask the roar of the 18 wheeler passing you!
- Ride defensively – if in town, traffic is heavy; if in the county many roads are narrow and feature drop offs. Better safe than sorry is a fact of life if it is you versus a driver more focused on a phone call than you.
- Love your “tunes” but do not ride with both ears blocked by ear buds – you need your ears to sense motor vehicles and other potential dangers.
How Does a Bicycle Stay Upright?
Ever wonder what keeps you from falling over on your bike? After all, according to Sir Isaac Newton’s apple, it shouldn’t be so easy to stay upright – right? Wrong! People have lots of ideas about what keeps us going; but the best explanation we can find is in the clever little video at this link: