Keep bicycle safety in mind

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Maurice A. Hodges
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  Whether it's to stay fit, conserve fuel or simply enjoy the ride, a significant number of McConnell Airmen ride bicycles. Whatever the reason, Team McConnell needs to keep bicycle safety in mind.

Approximately 630 bicyclists were killed and 51,000 were injured, according to the 2009 National Bicycle Accident Statistics. With numbers like this, the Air Force does not want its Airmen to become a statistic. This is no exception at McConnell.

"When off base, bike riders have to abide by the same rules of the road as motored vehicles, because cyclists also share the same road with vehicles weighing thousands of pounds more than they do," said Master Sgt. Mike Mintz, 22nd Air Refueling Wing ground safety superintendent.

When off duty, McConnell Airmen should continue safe bicycling practices off the installation.

According to The United Services Automobile Association Educational Foundation Bicycle Safety, five keys to safe bicycling are to:
  • wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet
  • be visible
  • stay alert
  • know and obey traffic rules
  • be predictable
Taking safety measures in traffic and wearing the proper equipment are shields against unintentional injuries. Personal protective equipment consists of an approved helmet. During hours of darkness, PPE consists of white front light and red rear light.

"I like the peaceful moments on the road without a steel cage around me, but if you don't wear the proper safety gear you're asking to be an organ donor," commented Airman 1st Class James Schwarzin-Copeland, 22nd ARW aerospace ground equipment apprentice, and frequent biker.

For more information about traffic safety, Airmen should refer to Air Force Instruction 91-207, The U.S. Air Force Traffic Safety Program.
 
According to AFI 91-207, paragraph 3.5 Installation Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety:
 
3.5.4. All persons who ride a bicycle, tricycle, or other human powered vehicle, including motorized bicycles, on an AF installation in a traffic environment shall wear a properly fastened and approved (e.g., Consumer Product Safety Commission, ANSI, Snell Memorial Foundation or host nation equivalent) bicycle helmet. MAJCOMs will be the approving official on what qualifies as host nation equivalent. During hours of darkness riders will wear retro-reflective vest/jacket or outer garment containing retro-reflective material. In addition, bicycles will be equipped with a white front light (not a reflector) visible for 500 feet and red rear reflector or light clearly visible from the rear of the bicycle from a distance of 300 feet.

3.5.5. Non-Motorized Transportation Devices. Operators of these devices, including but not limited to skateboards, kick-scooters, roller-blades and roller-skates, are prohibited on installation roadways except for incidental road access associated with pedestrians and will comply with all pedestrian related traffic laws. Operators of these devices, unless determined to be a hazard to pedestrians, will use designated pedestrian walkways and paths. Commanders may authorize the use of certain types of these devices in the traffic environment, by inclusion into the traffic safety code. An approved helmet is required to be worn on AF installations. Additions to minimum required PPE, such as knee pads, wrist guards, elbow pads, etc. will be determined by commander endorsed RM evaluation and included in the installation traffic safety code.

3.5.6. Wearing portable headphones, earphones, cellular phones, iPods, or other listening and entertainment devices (other than hearing aids) while walking, jogging, running, bicycling, skating or skateboarding on roadways is prohibited to all persons listed in paragraph 1.1.4 Use of listening devices impairs recognition of emergency signals, alarms, announcements, approaching vehicles, human speech, and outside noise in general.