To lessen your chances of being involved in a collision, what should you do?

Choosing the approach of lane position, identifying hazards, and wearing bright clothing is fundamental to enhancing your safety while riding. Proper lane positioning allows you to maximize your visibility to other vehicles and gives you an optimal vantage point to see potential hazards. This is crucial for avoiding collisions, as it provides you with more space and time to react to unexpected situations.

Identifying hazards is another key aspect; staying alert to changes in your environment, such as potholes, debris, or the movement of other vehicles, helps you respond quickly and appropriately, reducing the likelihood of accidents. Wearing bright clothing increases your visibility to others, making it less likely for drivers to overlook you, especially in low-light conditions or adverse weather.

While riding slowly is important in certain situations, it may not be applicable at all times and could impede traffic flow, which could create its own set of hazards. Riding with the flow of traffic is also essential, but alone, it does not encompass the active strategies needed to prevent collisions. Remaining in a single lane is a good practice for maintaining control and reducing the risk of sideswipe accidents, but it lacks the comprehensiveness of addressing visibility and hazard awareness effectively. Therefore, the combined approach of proper lane position, awareness of hazards, and wearing brightly