Roads can be a dangerous place for cyclists but there are steps that you can take to protect yourself from cycle accidents. The most important step is to make sure you are as visible as possible. This may mean wearing fluorescent or reflective clothing or attaching reflective accessories to your bike. You should also make sure that you have lights and reflectors on your bike, especially when travelling at night. You should also be aware of your positioning on the road, for example, cycling right next to a vehicle may mean that you are placing yourself in their ‘blind spot’. Think about where in the road you can position yourself so that you are seen but also able to cycle safely. You should know the rules in the Highway Code that refer to cyclists and stick to cycle lanes where you can. Try not to cycle on pavements; pedestrians won’t expect to see you there and if you need to cross the road, cars may not have seen you. When a cycle lane is blocked by parked cars, it is better to cycle in a straight line in the road than weave in and out of cars. If you do cycle in a cycle lane, be wary of cars turning across the cycle lane into a junction or occupants stopping and opening their doors suddenly without looking properly. Try to make eye contact with drivers to make sure they’ve seen you and in areas where there is a risk of a cycle accident, it is a good idea to cycle slowly enough that you would be able to stop suddenly if you needed to. You may want to choose routes with better provision for cyclists. If you know a route is full of parked cars and there isn’t much space, why not check if there is a similar route that is better suited to cyclists?