Sundaymail Editor
Start with good road positioning
Keeping away from the gutter makes you more visible to drivers and helps you miss slippery drain covers, potholes and debris at the side of the road. Also, if someone does overtake you too closely, you have more space on your left to move into. You may need to ride further out from the kerb if you do not want a driver to overtake you because it would be unsafe to do so. Some traffic calming features built out from the kerb or mid-road refuges for pedestrians, for example, do not leave enough room for a car to pass a cyclist safely. Moving into the centre of the lane should mean that drivers stay behind you instead of trying to squeeze past.
Keep an eye on what’s around you
This means looking ahead for rough surfaces, drain covers, road humps, vehicles parked in the lane, potholes and puddles (which can hide potholes). Looking all around also helps you prepare for junctions, roundabouts and traffic lights etcetera and anticipate potential problems.
Building up a sense of anticipation
You cannot control what everyone else does, but you can keep an eye out for pedestrians who are not looking where they are going, dogs not on leads, children kicking a football by the side of the road and drivers with a mobile phone to their ear among other things.
Once you have registered something or someone who has the potential to cause a problem, it is wise to stay on the alert so that you can react as necessary.
Make your intentions clear
Try to give other road users an indication of what you’re going to do. Check behind, then signal giving plenty of notice before making your manoeuvre.
Manoeuvre only when it is safe. If you are nervous about checking behind and/or taking one hand off the handlebars to signal, it is a good idea to practise this in a safe, traffic-free environment.
Make eye contact
Try to make eye contact with other road users, particularly at junctions, side roads and on roundabouts.
This may help you work out if the driver has seen you or not, but it is wise to avoid making assumptions about how attentive they are.
Certainly, if you do not see any reaction assume they have not seen you and be ready to brake or steer as necessary.
Never undertake a lorry
Many lorries have blind-spots on their passenger side, which means if you are cycling on their left, the driver may not have seen you in their mirrors and make a manoeuvre that puts you at serious risk.
This means you should take great care when approaching the rear of lorries and, as a general rule, not undertake them.
Watch out for car doors
When approaching a parked car, check behind first to make sure it is safe, then move out, leaving at least a door’s width when passing just in case someone flings opens a door into your path (an obvious hazard if you have just seen the car being parked). While you cannot always see whether there’s anyone seated in a car on the side you are intending to pass, it is worth having a look as you approach, if at all possible.
Stay visible when riding your bike in the dark
Legally, cyclists are required to have working lights on the front and rear of their cycles, switched on between sunset and sunrise; white at the front and red at the rear. It can, however, be sensible to use your lights in daytime if visibility is poor (e.g. fog) too. If you plan to cycle at night, you are well-advised to carry a spare set with you in case your first set fails..
Keep your hands on the brakes
Consider cycle training – Wires
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