Module 05

Starting to Cycle Safely

Cycling safely begins before the wheels move. Learn to check the bicycle and helmet, prepare your skills and route, communicate clearly and recognise when a junction calls for waiting or walking.

Before the wheels move

Prepare, communicate, decide

Ready equipment

Check the bicycle and wear a correctly fitted, securely fastened helmet.

Ready rider

Check the local rules, practise core skills and choose a suitable route.

Clear communication

Look all around and behind, signal, check again, then move only when safe.

Keep another option

At a difficult junction, waiting or walking the bicycle can be the better decision.

A signal shows what you intend to do; it does not create a safe gap. Look, signal, check again and keep waiting when the move is not clearly safe.

Source-verified guidance

What supports the choices

01 · Check the bicycle before you ride—especially the fit, brakes, tyres and anything loose or damaged.

Before riding, use a bicycle that fits, and check that its brakes, tyres, wheels, handlebars, chain, lights and reflectors are in suitable working condition for the journey.

02 · Wear a correctly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet.

Wear a bicycle helmet that meets the applicable standard, is the correct size, sits correctly and is securely fastened; a correctly used helmet can protect the head in a fall or crash.

03 · Check the local rules, practise cycling skills and plan the route before riding in more complex traffic.

Minimum-age and other cycling requirements differ by country. Check the rules that apply locally, and build skills through suitable cycle training—including starting, stopping, route planning, road positioning and signalling—before attempting more complex traffic situations.

04 · Look all around and behind before changing direction; signal clearly, then check again.

Before moving away, changing position or turning, look all around, check traffic behind and give a clear signal when it is safe to do so; a signal communicates an intention but does not make the manoeuvre safe by itself.

05 · At a junction, watch for turning vehicles and dismount if riding through does not feel safe.

At junctions, watch for vehicles that may turn across your path, especially large vehicles whose drivers may not be able to see you; if you do not feel safe to ride through, wait or dismount and wheel the bicycle across at a safe opportunity.

European/common safety guidance—not a unified European traffic code. Minimum-age and equipment laws differ by country. Reviewed: 19. 8. 2026.

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