I’M CONFIDENT THAT MY GUARDIAN ANGEL HAD HER HELMET ON, as I did, when I was hit by a car on Good Friday as I rode my bicycle. I was extremely lucky. I walked away with no broken bones nor severe injuries and my bicycle, with repairs, will be back to almost new. I am most thankful I didn’t have my Scotties onboard — and that I was wearing my bicycle helmet.

A neighbor suggested that I consider only riding my bicycle in the State Recreation Area, saying it is too dangerous to face off, bicycle versus cars, in a world where people talk on the phone or text while driving, or simply don’t pay attention.

Naturally, for many reasons, not riding is out of the question for me. Bicycling is my main form of transportation in Benicia. With my electric bicycle, I can get anywhere in town. I also love bicycling. You can really see Benicia on two wheels, hear the sounds of the day, say hello to people and experience the joy and good exercise of balanced movement. I also realize that there are people my age who are unable to enjoy the pleasure of bicycling because of illness or disability, and I’m thankful to be able to bicycle and will enjoy it for as long as possible. One of my goals is to encourage more bicycling in Benicia and to make it a safer place to ride.

Be bright, be visible, be safe

I am doing some things differently when bicycling than before my accident. Some time ago, I pulled up information on bicycle safety and found advice from UC-Berkeley: “Be bright, be visible and be safe.” On the “bright” side, I have a really good front and back light system that I have started using during the day as well as at night. I save the “monkey lights” — a spectacular LED wheel system that illuminates both wheels with a dazzling display of colorful light patterns — for night riding.

As far as being visible, my sister, Roberta, an ardent fan of all products 3M, over the years sent me lots of reflector strips that could be cut and attached. I cut and attached the strips to my bicycle helmet and plastered them all over my bicycle and my car — like on the edge of my car doors that fits into the body of the car, so that if a car door was open at night a light could detect the reflector of the open door. She also sent me a lightweight, neon yellow safety vest with reflector strips. Before the accident, I wore the vest only at twilight. Not anymore! Now I put that vest on for any ride. I know it won’t do any good if people aren’t looking, but if they are I am much more visible than before.

The other change I made was to go to Greg Andrada’s Wheels in Motion on First Street and buy a very good pair of bicycling gloves. My poor hands were all cut up with abrasions from my accident and gloves would have mitigated some of the injury. I also purchased a new bicycle helmet. The rule is, if you drop your helmet or it’s in an accident, you need to replace it. My current bicycle helmet saved me, as evidenced by the scrape mark above the brim.

I’m also changing my route. I’d rather go down a less-traveled alternate street with a safer turning spot than a more direct, but potentially hazardous, street. Additionally, with my normal caution in riding, I’m taking more time assessing whether a seemingly parked car has a driver at the wheel, and that drivers encountered at an intersection or entering the road where I’m riding are actually looking at me.

Put your helmet on

From the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Fatality Analysis Reporting System” and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, we learn that of the 722 U.S. recorded bicyclist deaths in 2012, 65 percent (469) were riders who didn’t wear a helmet; 17 percent of riders wearing a helmet died and there wasn’t any data on whether the cyclist did or did not wear a helmet for the remaining 18 percent (130).

Unfortunately, in California bicycle helmets are only mandatory through age 17. Here’s the law: “A person under 18 years of age cannot operate a bicycle or ride as a passenger without a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet that meets the standards of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or the SNELL Standards for Protective Headgear.” But I want to urge anyone who bicycles to wear a helmet.

How bikeable is Benicia?

As a workgroup from the Community Sustainability Commission, a group of us — Nancy Lund, Roger Straw and Doug Snyder — worked on two surveys about bicycling in Benicia. The first was an attitude survey, “How Bikeable is Benicia?” and the second was an infrastructure survey of selected routes (designed knowledgeably by Nancy).

From the more than 600 requests to respond to the bikeability survey, we received more than 100 responses. Asked about drivers in Benicia, most respondents, 66 percent, said drivers were good. The chart above shows in what ways drivers were bad.

As bicycling is taking off as a viable transportation alternative, it’s time to remember that bicyclists are entitled to the roads. Bicyclists must adhere to all traffic laws, too, and motorists need to pay attention to everyone on the road.

Join us May 12 at 7 p.m.

The results from both the bicycle attitude survey and the route infrastructure survey will be presented to the public on May 12 at 7 p.m. in Room 2 of the Community Center. Please join us to enrich and add to the findings and recommendations. Final survey results and recommendations will be presented to the Community Sustainability Commission on May 19.

Learn more

• Bicycle fatalities: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety – iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/pedestrians-and-bicyclists/fatalityfacts/bicycles

• Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute: bhsi.org

• CHP: chp.ca.gov/html/bicycleriding.html

• wheelsinmotionbenicia.com

Constance Beutel is a the chair of Benicia’s Community Sustainability Commission. She is a university professor and videographer and holds a doctorate from the University of San Francisco.