May is National Bike Month
National Bike-to-Work Week is May 14-18

With the arrival of warmer weather, it's the perfect time to pull your bike out of the garage, give it a quick tune-up, and enjoy the health and environmental benefits of bicycling. It's also a good excuse to convince a friend to try biking to work with you. It will help make the air a little cleaner and might even save you time on your commute! Between the 14-18 of May the League of American Cyclists are asking people to celebrate and join the fun by commuting to work. But don't worry if you can't participate by commuting the whole cycling week because, Friday the 16th is National Bike-to-Work Day, where you can take part by riding on this special day.

The fun of bike riding should always be balanced with the responsibility of knowing the essential rules of the road to keep yourself safe. Here are a few points to keep in mind when you’re out on the road, whether in your car or on your bike:

• Road construction also gears up in the spring, use extra caution in construction zones.
• Remember that bicycles are vehicles with the same rights, rules, and responsibilities of other road users.
• Motorists should only pass a bicycle when it's safe to do so. Slow down and give cyclists three feet of passing room.
• Always wear a properly fitted helmet. Statistics show that between seventy percent to eighty percent of all fatal bicycle crashes involve brain injuries. Wearing a helmet can prevent about eighty-five percent of these fatalities. Universal use of helmets could prevent one death every day and one brain injury every four minutes.
• A significant number of bike crashes are a result of the cyclist riding the wrong way. Ride on the right side of the road with the flow of traffic, close to the curb as practical.

REMINDER: Roads aren't just designed for vehicles. Bicyclists have the right to use the roads. Please be courteous to bicyclists and give them ample space.