Bike safety tips
Thinking of delivering food on a bike? Here are a few suggestions from safety experts and delivery people that you might want to read before you ride.
The right gear is important
Check out these tips from Transport NSW’s Centre for Road Safety on helmets, bicycle safety gear, and choosing the right bicycle.
Helmets
- Make sure your helmet meets the Australian and New Zealand standard (AS/NZS 2063) and has passed stringent safety tests.
- Make sure your helmet fits comfortably and securely when the straps are fastened.
- Choose a brightly coloured helmet so other road users can more easily see you.
- Replace your helmet if it’s been dropped onto a hard surface, involved in an incident, you see any cracks in the foam, or the straps look worn or frayed.
Safety Gear
- To make it easier for other road users to see you, wear bright or light coloured clothing during the day and reflective clothing at night.
- If you ride at night or in hazardous weather conditions, you must have a white front light, red rear light, and red reflector on the back of your bicycle.
- Your bike must be fitted with a working horn or bell.
- Your bike must be fitted with at least one working brake.
- Tyres should be appropriate to the size of your bicycle and inflated to the pressure as listed on the tyre wall
Tips
Here are a few other useful tips.
Prioritise road safety
Before you start riding, check your brakes, tyres and equipment, and familiarise yourself with local road laws.
Ride on roads and in bike lanes
Ride where designated by local law for your safety and the safety of pedestrians around you.
Use bike-friendly navigation
Choose to use a bike-friendly navigation app.
Watch out for hazards
Be aware of potholes and car doors opening.
Trams and train tracks
Make sure that you’re careful around train or tram tracks, especially during wet weather. If you need to ride across tram tracks, keep your wheels at right angles to the track so that they don’t get stuck in the track.
Know before you go
Plan and familiarise yourself with your route before you ride, and do not ride on roads where there is a no-bicycles sign. Generally, these signs are found on tollways, motorways, bridges and tunnels.
Mount your phone
Having your phone in a phone mount as you deliver keeps your hands free so you can hold your bike’s handlebars and focus on the road.
Secure your delivery bag
Checking that your straps are in good condition and that your delivery bag is secured on your bike helps minimise it moving around while you ride.
Be ready for the conditions
If it’s looking like wet weather, make sure you’re prepared with the right wet weather equipment, such as a rain jacket, pants and non-slip footwear.
- Stay safe when it’s wet
It’s important to take care when delivering in the rain because the roads can become more slippery. Check out these tips from Transport for NSW’s Centre for Road Safety:
- Use your front and rear lights and wear a reflective vest to make yourself visible to other traffic when riding in dark, wet and slippery conditions
- Try to stay upright and steer with your arms rather than leaning into corners with your hips Take corners slower - wet riding surfaces reduce traction between the tyres and the surface
- Apply the back brake smoothly and prepare yourself well in advance before entering a corner. Using the front brake only in a sudden stop has the potential to send you over the handle bars
- Wear bright waterproof clothing.
- Riding while tired or fatigued
Riding for extended periods of time without a break increases the risk of incidents related to fatigue. Research has shown that fatigue can have a similar effect on your riding performance as being intoxicated, and that fatigue is one of the biggest killers on Australian roads.
Check out tips on the common signs of fatigue and how to manage fatigue here.
Featured Video
Want more videos? Check out the video library below covering a range of topics to keep you safe while cycling.
Video library
Help keep yourself – and others around you – safe when you ride. Are you familiar with bike road rules in your state? Interested in tips to ride safely and maintain your bike? We’ve pulled together a collection of informative videos and tips for each state. You can access these videos using the video library below.
Want to know more about road rules?
Bicycle riders have the same rights and responsibilities on the road as other road users. There are also special road rules in each state that only apply to bicycle riders. If you want more information on the road rules for your state, check out the links below.
Support for delivery people
Uber offers a support package for driver-partners and delivery people, helping to cover them should something go wrong while using the Uber app.
Deliver your way in the app
Deliver your way in the app
¹Learn more here.
The material provided on this web page is intended for informational purposes only and may not be applicable in your country, region or city. It is subject to change and may be updated without notice.
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