Warning
Anyone under the age of 16 must wear a bicycle helmet, except on their own property and in their own driveway. Others are encouraged to wear helmets.
Prevention/Solution
Bike safety is taught early in elementary school grades at special programs throughout the year at schools in and around Salem.
Features
The City of Salem has a special webpage dedicated to safety on its website: cityofsalem.net. City laws require bikers to ride on the right side of the road and cycles are under the same rules as automobiles.
The Three B's
The city recommends the three B's for safety: Be Predictable, ride so you can be seen; Be Alert, drive defensively by paying attention to what is around you; Be Equipped by always keeping your bike in good condition.
Fun Fact
The Salem Bicycle Club has more than 400 members. It has weekly bike rides in the summer, and two major rides that last all day each year. The club's website is salembicycleclub.org
Significance
The city of Salem hopes to triple bike usage by the year 2015, and plans to encourage safety by added signage, more safety awareness and additional bike paths and special bike lanes.
Article Written By James Jordan
James Jordan has been a writer and photographer since 1980. He has worked for newspapers in Arkansas, Tennessee, South Carolina and Kansas, winning state press association awards for writing, photography and page design. In 1995 he received his master's in Christian education and completed two years of Ancient Greek at the graduate level. Jordan holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism.
