We conclude our summer recreational safety tips series with some reminders regarding bicycle safety.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Jeremy King is seeing a trend that could lead to more accidents along the bike trails and roadways. “For a couple years now it’s been a problem with some cyclists, not all. I’m not going to paint them all with the same brush. But some of them (are) just blowing through Stop signs because they get out in the country and they (think) nobody’s coming. I’ve had reports of them running into vehicles that are driving through and luckily they were a little bit slower and they hit the vehicle instead of the vehicle hitting them.

King has also seen some cases of cyclists running into combines, trailers, and other cyclists. This past weekend in Dallas County, a Carlisle man was cited for failure to obey a Stop sign and failure to yield after he collided with a vehicle east of Woodward. King also says while it may be difficult to come to a complete stop, he urges cyclists to at the very least come to a hard yield when approaching all signs.

For those looking for helmets, King suggests consulting with your local bike shops to get the best advice on good fitting helmets, particularly for children.