Separate versions for the US and for Canada
No matter what type of riding you do, or want to do
commuting • recreational • touring • triathlon / sport / competitive
this course will help increase your comfort and competence out on the street.
What will you learn from this course?
- Discover the rights and duties you have while riding your bike.
- Explore proven ways to encourage more drivers to respect them.
- Understand the impact of your actions in traffic, and how you can bring about positive interactions.
- Gain significant skills to help you be more competent & comfortable riding in traffic.
- Reduce the likelihood of receiving a traffic citation.
- 4 hours of interactive content incorporating video, descriptive text, photos, graphics, animations, and quizzes.
- Learn from any location, at your own pace.
- View it all at once or a bit at a time.
- Perfect for yourself, or as a gift for a friend or family member.
*** Coming soon: an abbreviated 2-hour version will be available.***
Valuable for experienced riders, as well as beginners.
- Includes separate module for your state or province, and city.
- Only $34.95 for 6 months of access.
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Learners may return as often as they like to review and improve.
Why offer the Traffic Smarts for Cyclists course to your staff?
- Provides enjoyable, effective traffic skills training for all who take part.
- Supports your Bike to Work initiatives.
- Helps you gain or enhance your League of American Bicyclists ‘Bicycle Friendly Business‘ status
Features and benefits of our training:
- Created by skilled and experienced cycling instructors, specifically for cyclists.
- We handle all administration and interactions with participants.
- Proven content and platform.
- Customized to include legislation and ordinances for each state/municipality/county.
- Multiple features to ensure full compliance with training requirements.
- Security features for Certificates of Completion and their delivery.
- We have years of experience in multiple jurisdictions.
Exceeds national cycling education standards.
The course significantly exceeds the traffic skills training requirements for the national programs in United States and Canada:
- League of American Bicyclists’ ‘Smart Cycling’ program
- Cycling Canada’s ‘CAN-BIKE’ program
Its content and methodology were modeled after state and provincial government standards for defensive driving courses.
With more than 18 years’ experience as an instructor, the primary course developer has been both a Master Instructor with the League of American Bicyclists and a National Examiner with the Canadian Cycling Association (now Cycling Canada). Others with these credentials, and numerous instructors with each program, helped develop and review the content and delivery.
Highly effective
In a survey directly following the course, participants have been asked the following questions. Here are the responses to date:
| “Has this training influenced you to ride according to the law?” | 88% said 'Yes.' |
|---|---|
| “Did this training help you feel more confident about cycling in traffic?” | 93% said 'Yes.' |
Tested and proven content & platform.
The course was developed in 2010 by The Center for Cycling Education as a classroom offering to dismiss traffic tickets. This was carried out in conjunction with the Austin Cycling Association (now Bike Austin), the City of Austin Municipal Court, and Bike Texas (the statewide cycling advocacy organization). 70 classroom sessions were conducted before the online course was launched in April 2013.
More than 1500 people have taken the classroom or online course to dismiss a traffic ticket. Many others have taken the online course out of general interest, to gain a pedicab license, or to meet training requirements for their employers. The content is designed to be applicable for cyclists of all experience levels.
The systems used to develop and deliver this training are industry-leading, and we have years of experience in their use and implementation.
Here’s what we’ll explore:
How people behave in traffic
How people behave in traffic
- Our reaction to other people’s errors
- Video: It’s a 3-Way Street
- How do these behaviors come about?
- Our attitude and its impact
- Monitoring our thoughts
- Evaluating our skills
- Learning from our experiences
Bike handling skills
Bike handling skills
- Parts of the bike
- Does your bike fit you?
- Braking
- Pedaling cadence
- Riding in a straight line
- Scanning behind
- Optional section: Shifting gears
Being an MVP-C
Being an MVP-C
- Maneuverable: Creating space around you
- Visible: Being seen, day and night
- Predictable: Helping others make the right decisions
- Communicative: Getting across the right messages
Your rights & duties
Your rights & duties
- Knowing your true place in traffic
- “But you don’t pay for the roads!” (Yes, we do.)
- What’s the point of the law?
- What we expect, and what drivers expect of us
- Our effect on other cyclists
- A summary of traffic laws for cyclists:
- Four levels of traffic laws
- Definition of a bicycle
- Required equipment
- General operation
- Where to ride on the road
- Obeying traffic control devices
- Right of way
- Riding on sidewalks
- Parking your bike
- Legal doesn’t equal safe
- What if we disagree with a law?
Scanning & signaling
Scanning & signaling
Scanning for traffic
- Why it’s important
- Review of steps to make it easier
- When to scan
- Using mirrors
Signaling
- Why it’s important
- What we need to signal, and tips to make it easier
- Turns
- Lane changes
- Change of position within a lane
- Stops
- Pulling onto the roadway
- Waving thanks
- Signaling–how, and how often?
Putting it all together
- Scan, Signal, Scan, Go.
- How this looks in real life
Choosing your place on the road
Choosing your place on the road
Choosing a lane and lane position
- A reasoned approach
- Seeing things from a driver’s perspective
- Ride with traffic
- Risks of wrong-way riding
- How we choose our lane position
- Avoiding roadside hazards
- Giving ourselves space
- How far right?
- When we can move left
- Controlling the lane
- How this helps drivers
- What our options are
- Communicating with others
- Some important considerations
- Riding on one-way streets
- What does controlling the lane look like?
Parked cars
- The potential risks
- What’s a safe distance?
- Legal responsibility for drivers & passengers
- What a safe distance looks like
Bike lanes
- Do we have to ride in them?
- What are our options?
Intersections
Intersections
Lane position at intersections
- A, B or C position?
- Common driver errors at intersections, and how to discourage them
- Stopping at an intersection
- Positioning in bike lanes and at 4-way stops
- Travelling through the intersection
- If you ride in ‘C’ position
- If a driver turns across your path
- Regardless of what lane position you take…
- Right turn only lanes
When stopping is required
- Stop signs and red lights
- What might you miss?
- Go! No, stop!
- Fewer decisions are needed
- Drivers’ perceptions
- The cost of a ticket
- What is the point of the law?
- Where to stop
Right of way
- Don’t assume you have it
- First come, first served
- Yield to the person on the right
- Yield if you are turning
- Taking your turn
- Pedestrians’ right of way
- Which is a legal crosswalk?
- Communicate with others
Traffic lights
- Why a green light doesn’t mean ‘go’
- Judging the timing
- Starting off quickly
- Triggering traffic lights
Making turns
- Right turns
- Left turns
- Changing lanes: moving from ‘C’ position
- Changing lanes: with traffic around you
- Changing lanes: signaling
- Changing lanes: with no traffic around you
- Using the gaps
- Preparing for the turn
- Lane position for the turn
- Waiting position
- Making the turn
Traffic circles & roundabouts
Other riding situations
Other riding situations
Passing on the right
- Good reasons not to
- When and how we can do it
- Lane-splitting
Sidewalk riding
- Why do people ride on sidewalks?
- Potential risks
- Making the decision
Other situations
- Riding near buses
- Riding in parking spaces
- Riding side-by-side
- Riding on paths & trails
Equipment
Equipment
Required & optional equipment
- Brakes
- Lighting: what’s needed, and when
- Helmets
ABC Quick Check (bike)
A more detailed check
Sizing, configuring, & adjusting your bike
Parking your bike
- Deterring bike theft
- Where to park your bike
- How to lock it up
- What kind of locks?
Summary & feedback
Summary & feedback
- Includes an option for a brief survey so you can let us know what you think of the course.
It only takes a minute to sign up for 6 months of access!
30-day money back guarantee!
I’m certain that you’ll gain valuable insights you can use on your very next ride. If for any reason you’re not fully satisfied, your money will be refunded.
– Allan Dunlop, Director
“Do I have to ride at the edge of the road, or can I control my lane?” • “How can I encourage drivers to give me enough space, and to cooperate with me?” • “What laws apply to me as a cyclist?” • In this course, you’ll find the answers.
Government organizations • Businesses • Advocacy groups • Charity ride organizations • Colleges and universities • Cycling clubs
Bulk purchase discounts and coupon codes are available. Details here.
Sign up now:
6 months of access, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Are you a cyclist who has received a traffic ticket?
Have your fine dismissed by signing up for the Defensive Cycling course.
This online cycling course is accepted in many jurisdictions to dismiss a ticket. If your city isn’t on the list, ask the Court if this option will be accepted. We can help.
Now available for implementation in jurisdictions across the USA and Canada.
