Bicycling is not as scary or dangerous as the neophyte might think. From I Bike NOPA :
Filmmaker Laura J. Lukitsch talked with San Franciscans about their initial fears and how they learned to love biking in the city while keeping a close watch on the risks involved. She stopped by NOPA last week to grab a few neighborhood observations for the mix.
The following webisode touches on bicycling concerns that Lukitsch will include in “Mind the Gap”, her documentary about sustainable urban transit and “what urban planners and individuals are doing to change the way we move.”
Some good advice in the video: bike defensively, pay attention, ride with a buddy, be responsible for your own safety, ride more, and take a bike safety class.
Fear of bicycling came with the spreading of the helmet meme. Bike clubs’ focus on “everybody must wear a helmet, everywhere and always” has drummed the false message that bicycling must be very dangerous. It’s not, and never was. Helmets, though a great idea for those who want to disregard safe riding technique and ride very much riskier, are unnecessary for the vast, vast majority of riders, children included.