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AAA Releases New Safety Resources for National Bike Month
Adding more excitement to Bike to Work Week, AAA has partnered with the League to produce a series of bicycle safety videos, designed to educate both motorists and bicyclists on the importance of sharing the road.
AAA’s newly redesigned ShareTheRoad.AAA.com offers bicycle and helmet fit guides, safety tips and riding skills advice.
“This year’s theme for Bike Month — One Ride, Many Reasons — recognizes that cycling enhances our lives in countless ways, from keeping us fit to giving us a fun way to get to work,” said League president Andy Clarke. “We’re excited about AAA’s strong support of Bike Month and commitment to educate motorists, so every ride is safe and comfortable for drivers and bicyclists alike.”
Check out all the great tips and resources on the new Share the Road site and AAA’s YouTube channel!
Carolyn Szczepanski
Communications Director
Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.
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May 14th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
Great to see AAA teaming up with the League (in fact, it’s one of the reasons I’m switching my insurance over to them).
May 14th, 2012 at 12:14 pm
This link doesn’t seem to work: http://www.sharetheroad.aaa.com/
Also, can someone tell that cyclist that riding through intersections and around curves in urban traffic while on his aero bars is not the wisest thing to do? You are not in an optimal position to steer, and you are far from your brakes. Try doing an instant turn or quick stop from the “dork bars” some time in a safe location!
May 14th, 2012 at 12:15 pm
p.s. Teaming with AAA is GREAT news!
May 14th, 2012 at 2:09 pm
I too am glad to see The League and AAA coming together on this.
Having watched several of the AAA videos I am getting the impression cyclists are expected to stay to the right without addressing how far to the right one should stay.
Some of the images show the featured road cyclist too far to the right in my opinion. They are just barely the width of the fog line away from the debris filled gutter.
Although Andy indicates early on that on a narrow road the cyclist should take the lane, the more regular footage of the road cyclist shows them too far to the right most of the time. Especially on a two lane road, I personally would be further away from the debris filled gutter than depicted in these videos.
May 14th, 2012 at 9:21 pm
In 2011, AAA also added bicycle photo on front of their Monterey Peninsula – Salinas Valley map. See picture at bottom of bike maps section at BicyclingMonterey.com
For years, local AAA office was disinterested when I’d swing by with bike resources. Not anymore–several staff eagerly asking me questions now, wanting to help their AAA members find local bike info.
May 15th, 2012 at 9:06 am
[...] Speaking of Which: AAA Unveils New Bicycle Safety Resources for Bike Week (LAB) [...]
May 15th, 2012 at 10:28 am
This is excellent news! It’s great to point out that not only the cyclists need to be cautious while riding! Go Bike League!
May 15th, 2012 at 11:01 am
[...] AAA Releases New Safety Resources for National Bike Month [...]
May 16th, 2012 at 12:25 pm
As others have noted, it is disappointing that the videos reinforce the notion that bikes are to ride far to the right. The videos on the AAA site are replete with examples of poor lane positioning and bike practices for defensive cycling.
Did LAB have their bike ed people consult on the development of these videos? That minivan pass on a curve within the lane is a poor message to send, among others.
May 16th, 2012 at 3:04 pm
Jake and others – the b-roll footage used in the videos isn’t perfect but I think you’d have to agree that we’re making real progress with a series of AAA vidoes carrying the share the road message, the principles of our Smart Cycling program, the elements of a bicycle friendly community, and a strong focus on what drivers need to do as well as cyclists? I am sorry you are disappointed and hope you wont let perfect be the enemy of good, as the saying goes.
May 17th, 2012 at 1:19 pm
Not expecting perfect Andy. I just expect something that goes out to AAA members to not be of marginal benefit, and largely reinforce the age old misconceptions that we are to stay out of the way, that helmets are item #1 in bike safety (skills and knowledge are), and to have something that actually depicts something of value rather than demonstrate questions biking and driving practices. I would expect this video quality of AAA, not LAB since LAB is the source of valuable education. It is a sadly missed opportunity.
May 18th, 2012 at 6:26 am
+1 with Jake. None of the cyclists in the video at http://exchange.aaa.com/safety/bicycle-safety/on-the-road/ are demonstrating what I would call good control of their space, and most are not controlling it at all. Motorists need to expect and tolerate bicyclists in middle of narrow travel lanes, which you mention but the video does not show. Instead, the two examples around 2:00 show cyclists riding on or near the white line, in a left turn only lane (is he really turning left? He’s riding the line on the right and not signaling a turn) and in the second case, avoiding(?) the right turn only lane by swerving through it from the extreme right, again without signaling. Poor cyclist behavior, but typical stay-out-of-the-way thinking.
May 18th, 2012 at 12:39 pm
I agree with the comments of Jake and John. Seeing AAA more involved is great, but a video like this is a step in the wrong direction in my view. Imperfection is one thing, but the video here is a mockery of the words that accompany it. As Keri Caffrey noted elsewhere, “if the visuals don’t back the narration, the video is ineffective. If the visuals reinforce bad practices, it doesn’t matter what the narrator says.”
For example, while Andy is talking about the general right of cyclists to ride in the traffic lane, at 0:58, and even says bicyclists should ride “in or near the center of the lane” when the lane is too narrow for safe sharing, the cyclist depicted is epitomizing gutter bunny riding, in a lane that is clearly too narrow to be safely shared side-by-side.
At 1:17 while the narrator and printed words advocate giving cyclists “extra passing room”, the video shows a driver in a sedan passing a (gutter bunny) cyclist very closely.
At 1:25 while the narrator and words advocate that motorists check blind spots, the video depicts the driver checking her mirrors, not actually turning her head to look back and actually check her blind spot.
At 1:33 while the narration/words talk about slowing down to pass, and passing with at least 3 feet of clearance, there is no indication that the minivan driver passing the cyclist is doing either.
That left merge starting at 2:01 is the epitome of what not to do. First, he’s way too far right in the first place. Second he doesn’t start moving left until he has almost reached the right turn only lane… he should already be in the adjacent through lane before he gets there, and so should start the merge much earlier. When he does finally move, it is to the left side of the right turn only lane. There is no indication that he will do anything other than maintain that position still in the right only lane, even though he is going straight. So, while the banner says, “bicyclists should follow the rules of the road”, the cyclist depicted is shown to be moving left too late, never moving out of the right turn only lane even though he is going straight, and, by the way, never hand signaling his left lateral move.
While the audio and printed words are fine, the terrible video which mocks those words should be pulled.
May 18th, 2012 at 2:04 pm
Maybe we could ask AAA to use LCIs as their bicycling models in all future videos?
May 18th, 2012 at 6:19 pm
This botched educational outreach opportunity illustrates why LAB needs a robust and frequently engaged Education Committee that oversees all education and safety programs.
I agree with others that the video footage should be completely redone with competent traffic cyclists modeling confident and assertive cycling,
This video (and much of the other material on the new AAA site) is so far from “perfect” that it’s little better (and arguably worse) than nothing.
May 18th, 2012 at 8:33 pm
I agree it’s great to see AAA teaming up with LAB and am aware that they also put together written materials supporting bicycle education. As noted by others, however, I think that the videos send the wrong message to drivers.
I watched four of the videos. When the bicyclists are consistently shown as being in the extreme far right or on bike paths, it reinforces the idea that bicyclists should be out of motorists way.
We really need an attitude shift in the way we relate to each other on our roadways, and unfortunately, this is going to take a long time.
May 23rd, 2012 at 9:41 am
Truly excited about the relationship between AAA & LAB. Completely disheartened by the results so far for many of the reasons expressed above. Not sure how an LCI could look at the videos and not have an large issue with them.