How do I cycle safely in traffic?

Most collisions between bikes and vehicles happen at junctions, and most involve a driver who did not see the cyclist or misjudged their speed. Road position and visibility are the two things a rider actually controls.

Safety

Step by step

1. Ride away from the kerb.About a metre out is the standard primary position for most riding. It keeps you out of drains and debris, gives you room to move left if needed, and makes you much more visible than hugging the edge.
2. Take the lane where it is not safe to be overtaken.Narrow roads, approaching junctions, at pinch points and around parked cars. Riding in the centre of the lane prevents dangerous close overtakes, and the Highway Code explicitly supports it.
3. Never pass a large vehicle on the inside.Lorries and buses turning left crush cyclists alongside them, and this is one of the most common causes of cyclist deaths in British cities. Stay behind, or well in front where the driver can see you.
4. Stay out of the blind spots at lights.Do not stop alongside a large vehicle. Either hold back behind it or get well ahead, in the cycle box, where you are clearly in the driver's field of view.
5. Ride a door's width from parked cars.At least a metre and a half. Being doored is common and the swerve into traffic is often worse than the door itself.
6. Make eye contact at junctions.A driver waiting to pull out who has looked at you is very different from one who has looked through you. If you cannot see their eyes, assume they have not seen you.
7. Signal early and clearly.Look over your shoulder first, signal, then move. The shoulder check is both a safety measure and a signal in itself, because drivers read it as intent.
8. Be predictable.Hold a steady line, avoid weaving between parked cars and back out again, and do not swerve to the kerb every time a car approaches. Drivers cope well with predictable riders.
9. Use lights properly.White at the front, red at the rear, legally required after dark and worth using in poor daylight too. A flashing rear light plus a steady one is very effective.
10. Wear something visible without relying on it.Bright or reflective clothing helps, particularly reflective material on moving ankles and pedals. It is not a substitute for road position and lights.
11. Watch the front wheels of waiting cars.The wheels start moving before the body does, so they are the earliest indication that a driver at a junction is about to pull out.
12. Consider training.Bikeability or an adult cycle training session teaches road position and junction technique in a couple of hours and is often free through local councils.

Tips

• Ride out from the kerb. Riding in the gutter makes you less visible, not safer.
• Never go up the inside of a lorry or bus. This is the rule that matters most.
• Watch the front wheels of waiting cars — they move before the car does.

Common mistakes

• Riding as close to the kerb as possible — It puts you in the debris and drain covers, invites drivers to squeeze past in the same lane, and makes you less visible at junctions. A metre out is safer and is what training teaches.
• Filtering up the left of stationary traffic to the lights — It puts you into the blind spot of every vehicle you pass, and any of them turning left will not see you. If you filter, do it on the right, slowly, and be ready for traffic to move.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask