Friday, June 3, 2011

Cub Scout Bike Safety Quiz

I recently became a Cubmaster for Packs 2, 44, and 88 here in Boise. (They are all small packs, and meet together.) Sometime over the summer, we'll be doing the traditional Bike Rodeo, where we teach and practice cycling skills in a nice offroad environment (a huge, paved parking lot).

This is a quiz that was provided with resource materials; I thought it was interesting. And I've got disputes with a couple of the "official" answers. (Yeah, always the rebel.) The questions ... followed by the answers. (Don't cheat!)

(Cub Scouts) Safe Bicycle Riding
True or False Quiz


1) Bicycles should be ridden on the right-hand side of the street.
2) Bicycle riders should obey all traffic signs and signals.
3) Stop signs are round in shape.
4) Pedestrians have the right-of-way on sidewalks and crosswalks.
5) Bicycles should be "walked" across busy intersections.
6) The signal for a right turn is stretching the right arm straight out.
7) Riding a bicycle at night without a front light or rear reflector is unsafe.
8) It's safe for a bicycle rider to carry a passenger.
9) You don't have to stop at a stop sign if there is no traffic.
10) Hitching a ride on another vehicle is safe if the driver is careful.
11) Bicycle riders should give a hand signal before making a turn or stopping on the street.
12) It's safe to ride a bicycle that is in poor condition if you are a good rider.
13) If you're riding bicycles with friends, you should travel in a single file.
14) Your chain should be loose enough to slip off easily.
15) It's OK to ride a bicycle in either direction on a one-way street.
16) It's not safe to pass another bicycle on the right.
17) Even a good rider should "walk" his bicycle through heavy traffic.
18) The faster you ride, the safer it is.
19) Bicycle riders should stay at least 3 feet from parked cars.
20) If you don't ride on busy streets, you don't need a horn or bell.

My answers [and the "official" answer in brackets, where mine differs]:
1) Oh, so TRUE!!
2) True.
3) False (they are octagonal).
4) True.
5) Maybe. If there's a crosswalk, then walk if you feel better about it. If there's not a crosswalk, ride (with traffic flow). [True.]
6) True. (The "official" answer is going to be false, but the right-arm-out will probably be just as meaningful as the left-arm-squared to most drivers in 2011.) [False.]
7) True.
8) False. (Unless it's on a bicycle designed to carry a passenger.)
9) True. (In Idaho! That's the law! Sweeeeeeeeet! HOWEVER - if I were teaching bike safety to 8-10-year-olds, I'd tell them to always stop at a stop sign.) [False.]
10) False.
11) True. (I rarely make a "stopping hand signal." But I rarely stop when stopping isn't necessary.)
12) False. (Assuming that "poor condition" refers to operational condition, and not faded paint or a bit of rust.)
13) True. (As a rule. Riding two abreast is legal in Idaho, but only if you're not impeding traffic flow.)
14) False.
15) False.
16) True (As a rule. Exceptions: cyclist you are passing is turning left, etc.)
17) Huh? Like when you're crossing a street with heavy traffic? The question isn't specific enough. [True.]
18) False.
19) True.
20) True. (The "official" answer may be false, but in Idaho and most jurisdictions, hollerin' is a legal substitute for a horn or bell. And who's gonna hear that little tinkle-bell with the windows rolled up, the A/C blastin', and the 2000-watt hip-hop blastin' even louder?!!) [False.]

2 comments:

Clancy said...

That quiz is like the deck of cards handed out by IDT at the Mia Burke presentation. Some of them I don't quite agree with.

Michael Carpenter said...

Bikeboy, check out this video of a cyclist who was ticketed for not riding in the bike lane.

http://gizmodo.com/5810246/cyclist-argues-against-police-fine-in-slapstick-cycle+lane-video