With gas prices soaring and people looking for new ways to keep fit, more and more of us are biking to work. But there are right ways and wrong ways to do it.

To start, click here or on the picture.

Editing: Paige Bierma
Illustrations: David Dudley
Photos: Paige Bierma
Video production: Paige Bierma, James Burke, Diana Hembree, and Jen Robb
Flash production: Paige Bierma, Diana Hembree, and Eric Turner
Executive producer: Diana Hembree

•As always, Internet Explorer users need to click once on a Flash file to "activate" it before any links or buttons will work.

•If the video looks slow or jerky, try hitting the "pause" button and letting the video buffer for a while (check the loading bar and wait for it to reach the end for smoothest viewing).

•Multimedia files tend to be large, so users with slower connections or high network traffic may experience short delays while loading Flash or video files. • If you don't hear any sound, try turning up the volume of your computer speakers and checking if your computer volume has been set to mute. You may also want to adjust your “brightness” settings. • If the Flash package doesn't open or videos won't play, you may need to download and install the latest version of the free Flash player from Adobe Systems, Inc.

Note: If you're at work, you may have trouble downloading or installing Flash or other programs because of firewalls, lack of administrative rights, or other restrictions on your network or computer.

Special thanks to Jane Ellen Stevens, Linda Moore, Kamika Dunlap, Catherine Price, Marilyn Pittman, and Tena Robles and Lisa Rudman of the National Radio Project.

Resources:

Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute: www.helmets.org

Bicycle Safety: Federal Highway Adminstration (FHWA): http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/bike/index.htm

Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center: www.bicyclinginfo.org

Is Your City Bike-Friendly? Take the Bikeability Checklist and Find Out: http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/cps/checklist.cfm

References

How (Not) to Wear a Bike Helmet (video)
Interview with Bakari Kafele, Berkeley Bike Station
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Worse-Case Scenario (video)
Interview with Chris Maistrellas

Safety Accessories (interactive bike)
National Safety Institute
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute
Bicycle Safety: Federal Highway Administration
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center

First published September 18, 2007
Copyright © 2007 Consumer Health Interactive