Randy Swart Quoted in US News & World Report

[Levy.Dave at epamail.epa.gov]

Copyright 2001 U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report


March 5, 2001

SECTION: NEWS YOU CAN USE; HEALTH; Vol. 130 , No. 9; Pg. 60

LENGTH: 501 words

HEADLINE: For safe biking, stay sober and stay off the sidewalk

BYLINE: By Stacey Schultz

BODY:
Common sense says that riding your bike after you've had a few drinks is
not
a good idea. A study in last week's Journal of the American Medical
Association confirms it--even one drink dilutes the skills and judgment
needed for safe cycling. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School
of
Medicine in Baltimore studied 124 Maryland bicyclists who were in serious
accidents and found that one third of those fatally injured had elevated
blood alcohol levels. Just one drink, they calculated, multiplied the risk
of serious injury or death six times, and four or five drinks multiplied it
20 times.

But common sense is not the watchword for many cyclists. Each year in this
country, more than 500,000 people are treated in emergency rooms and 20,000
are admitted to hospitals for bicycle-related injuries. And while helmets
and parental supervision have helped lower the death rate for riders under
age 16 by 70 percent since 1975, the adult death rate has risen by 60
percent. Ridership has more than doubled in the last 20
years, but alcohol, reckless riding, and poor safety gear also contribute.

No amount of caution will eliminate all cycling accidents. "If you ride
long
enough, you will eventually crash," says Randy Swart, director of the
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute in Arlington, Va. "All it takes is a
pothole, some loose gravel, or someone's dog running under your wheel."
Accidents like these generally result in scrapes and bruises. Roughly 800
bikers die each year on the roads, however, usually when they tangle with
cars.

Swart and others say that riders can minimize the risks--but many don't
bother. Studies show that riders wearing helmets are 85 percent less likely
to incur a head injury than riders without them, yet only 38 percent of
adult cyclists wear one regularly, according to BHSI. But Swart cautions
that helmets won't guarantee safety. "Avoiding the crash in the first place
is a lot more preventative than wearing a helmet."

Get attention. Michael Klasmeier, program director for the League of
American Bicyclists, says it's safer to stay on the road than to dart
across
intersections from the sidewalk. "Cars can see you better and can
anticipate
your actions," he explains. Keep 4 feet away from parked cars, he says, so
you don't "eat the door" if it suddenly opens. And signal before you turn
or
change lanes. "It's all about communicating with drivers and being
assertive," he says. "If you act skittish,
the drivers become unsure of what you are going to do."

Night riding is especially dangerous because you're harder to see. About 56
percent of bike fatalities occur between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. Klasmeier says
night cyclists should wear bright, neon-colored clothes and use lights.
"You
should have a white front light and a red or amber taillight," he says.
"And
there's nothing wrong with strapping some lights or reflective tape to your
clothes." But if happy hour is your destination, the best bet is to leave
the bike at home.

GRAPHIC: Picture, Keep your head clear and your helmet on.
(EDUARDO GARCIA--FPG)