2. Drive on the Right Half of the Road
Driving your bicycle on the right half of the road (§ 20-146) prevents head-on collisions and avoids surprising other drivers at junctions.
Wrong-way bicycling is many times more dangerous than right-side bicycling, and is a leading cause of car-bike crashes. About 1/3 of bicycle-automobile collisions involve a bicyclist traveling on the left half of the road or otherwise opposite the expected direction of vehicle traffic. Right-turning drivers scan for vehicle traffic coming from their left, and often turn directly into the paths of wrong-way cyclists. Drivers are often surprised by the presence wrong-way cyclists, and neither party may be able to stop in time to avoid a crash. The impact speed equals the car’s speed plus the cyclist’s speed. Never drive a vehicle against traffic. RIDE RIGHT.
Sidewalks are designed for pedestrian speeds; drivers do not expect vehicles on sidewalks and generally drive across them without scanning for anything moving faster than a pedestrian. Operating on the sidewalk makes you less visible and you cannot use destination positioning at intersections. Studies have shown that car-bike crash rates are several times higher for cyclists on sidewalks than for cyclists operating on the adjacent roadway sections. When falls and collisions with pedestrians, dogs, and other obstacles are considered, we find that cycling on sidewalks results in many times more injuries per mile than cycling on major roads without special bike facilities.
