It occurred to me from another post that maybe someone doesn't know about a few hazards that might not be so obvious.
First, in many town streets, the only place to ride is on the road between the parked cars and the flowing traffic. As you ride, do you check to see if someone is still in each vehicle? If a driver exits his/her vehicle while you're passing through ... BOOM! Always speed check and always look ... the only "out" in that situation puts you right into traffic.
Second, an item I call "car counting." You normally are aware of the first car approaching from behind. You can usually hear it if you haven't spotted it already. Importantly, because of noise from the passing vehicle, it's really hard to simply hear whether any cars are lined up behind the first one. Once the first car passes, you must be aware as to potential traffic behind the leader. You may not have the ability to use the road to avoid any hazards on the shoulder due to the line up of vehicles that follow, and your ear is not a good enough detector of the traffic behind you.
Well, there's my small piece of advice for anyone's benefit.
First, in many town streets, the only place to ride is on the road between the parked cars and the flowing traffic. As you ride, do you check to see if someone is still in each vehicle? If a driver exits his/her vehicle while you're passing through ... BOOM! Always speed check and always look ... the only "out" in that situation puts you right into traffic.
Second, an item I call "car counting." You normally are aware of the first car approaching from behind. You can usually hear it if you haven't spotted it already. Importantly, because of noise from the passing vehicle, it's really hard to simply hear whether any cars are lined up behind the first one. Once the first car passes, you must be aware as to potential traffic behind the leader. You may not have the ability to use the road to avoid any hazards on the shoulder due to the line up of vehicles that follow, and your ear is not a good enough detector of the traffic behind you.
Well, there's my small piece of advice for anyone's benefit.