Cycling – A Health Boost or a Danger?

While cycling has become more popular over recent years, and people are feeling significant health benefits from cycling, there is a population of people that are too scared to take to the roads by bicycle.

This isn’t necessarily a reflection of their own cycling ability but more of a concern for their safety in terms of being hit by a vehicle. Therefore, large investment has been made to try and ensure more cycling lanes are available, but there are still many areas where people feel concerned for their safety when cycling on the road.

Cyclists often complain that drivers are unaware of how much room that they should leave when overtaking a cyclist and this can result in accidents. Similarly, not checking inside mirrors for cyclists is a common problem. Did you know that in 2013 over 900 cyclists were killed in the US and there were around half a million cyclists injured and required a visit to the emergency department? These stats are off-putting, but we must remember that everything is relative. People driving cars have much higher levels of protection than cyclists, but there are still large numbers of traffic accident related injuries each year. Additionally, if you have been injured in a traffic accident, then you should speak to a Chicago personal injury attorney from phillipslawoffices to get some advice on how to pursue a claim.

Unfortunately, there are dangers in most daily activities - even from crossing the road, so people shouldn’t be put off cycling because of the potential dangers. Cycling is great for your health and mental well-being, so you should get out on your bike as much as you can. As well as weight loss and muscle gain, being outdoors and exercising will give you a big mental boost to thanks to an increase in endorphins.

If you are thinking about starting cycling and want to know how to stay as safe as you possibly can, you should check the cdc.gov website for ways to prevent injuries. So for example, wearing a helmet is highly important, and many of the serious accidents could have been prevented if the person was wearing a cycling helmet. You might think that they look silly, but that should be the least of your concerns when you are going out on a bike. Other measures that you can take are wearing highly visible clothing with reflectors on and having good quality lights on your bike.

You obviously also have a responsibility as a cyclist to use the road in a safe manner, so make sure that you are aware of the necessary road laws to help you to stay safe and to protect the safety of others. If you are cycling for leisure, you can find routes that are specifically designed for cyclists or that are particularly safe from road hazards. You can download apps for your phone to find routes near to you or visit the adventurecycling.org website to find out more information and to download maps.

Cycling is a great way to see the world, boost your health and save on travel expenses so get on your bike and stay safe!

This is a guest blog entry.