The U.S. observes National Bicycle Safety Month every May.
Now, while this may seem inconsequential to brands as they try to market to their communities, the corporate social responsibility shown from promoting this observance has a definitely good value.
Bike Safety Month is an opportunity to show your thoughtfulness towards ensuring the community follows bicycling protocol on the public roads—especially in urban areas.
From data on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website, most bicyclist deaths occur in urban areas. This makes sense, given that the motor vehicle density is greater on urban roads. With more people and cars around, bicyclists clearly need to watch out more—but the fact lies that no one is immune to having blind spots and making poor decisions.
So, it is no small matter to mitigate these accidents with sensible rules. The movement to create bicycle safety awareness goes beyond wearing a helmet and learning signage. Schools, traffic control technicians, and law enforcement agencies have a mandate to follow, and your brand can do their bit by creating an environment of learning.
What better way of doing so than by distributing some promotional items with innovative ideas to solving bike safety?
Here, we present 10 promotional product ideas to create bike safety awareness—as well as a medium for your brand messaging.
#1 Lit-Up Bracelets
According to the NHTSA, bicyclist deaths occurred most often between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. This hints at the suboptimal conditions of peak traffic and low visibility. How do cyclists mitigate the chances of a motorist colliding with them at this time? Rear lights and reflective bumpers can do the job. But in case a cyclist wanted to give a motorist even more indication, they could wear lit-up LED bracelets and attach a bike light to their bicycle’s parts.
#2 Lit-Up Armbands
For even more protection from motorists, one could wear an armband. This Safety Light Armband warns motorists of cyclists with its powerful light. The light has two settings. The first is standard light setting, and the other is a flashing setting, which enhances its visibility at dawn, dusk, and night. The light is powered by removable cell batteries.
#3 Clip-On Safety Flasher
As mentioned above, a bicycle’s reflective bumper can warn a motorist of an impending collision, but you can always add more warning signs. A Clip-On Safety Flasher can be easily attached to the rods and handles of a bicycle, with its handy carabiner. Its red LED light has 3 light settings for maximum visibility.
#4 Reflective or Bright Backpacks
A fair number of bicyclists will be carrying personal items to and from the places they visit, so why can’t your brand use the power of suggestion with reflective backpacks, to ensure even more safety? This Reflective Drawstring Backpack is made of neon polyester, and it comes in 2 safety colors and 2 reflective stripes. Motorists will see your recipient and your brand logo from a long way back!
#5 Shoe Lights
This handy Safety Shoe Light can be attached onto a cyclist’s shoes for additional warning to motorists. The device has a button that can be clicked on to turn on the light. It comes in 3 colors and the light also has 3 colors—green, blue, and pink.
#6 Reflective Vests
No matter what cyclists wear, they can always enhance their visibility to a motorist with neon colors. A vest in a safety neon color along with two reflective, horizontal stripes goes a long way to preventing a motor accident. For more options, you can also check out our Hi Vis Lime Class 2 Surveyor Zipper Vest.
#7 Reflective Jacket
For colder and wet weather, your cyclists might need a top that can insulate them! The Columbia Men’s Powder Lite™ Jacket has water-resistant fabric with reflective polyester lining. It can keep your recipients safe in more than one way! For other options in cold weather, you can give away the safety-colored Gildan® -Hooded Sweatshirt.
#8 First-Aid Kit
Last, but not least, you should always equip your customers with a first-aid kit in case of an accident. This Responder 30-Piece First Aid Kit is comprehensive in its contents. It includes 6 standard adhesive bandages, 6 safety pins, 5 small adhesive bandages, 4 alcohol wipes, 2 gauze swabs, 1 mini-scissor, 1 PBT bandage, 1 roll adhesive tape, 1 triangular bandage, 1 pair disposable latex free vinyl gloves, 1 pair plastic tweezers, and 1 CPR face shield.
We need to inculcate a responsible attitude in cyclists and motorists. While bicycle accidents are not as frequent as other types of vehicular accidents, the NHTSA still reported 846 bicyclist deaths in 2019. As long as people do their part, this number can be mitigated with an all-around approach to the matter. Apart from online videos and lectures on bike safety, brands can also do their part with bike safety promotional items.
Promo Direct offers a selection of low-cost bike safety promotional items that will assist your organization in spreading bicycle safety awareness throughout the calendar. Customize these products with your artwork, brand messaging, or brand logo to create a bike safety month giveaway that is strikingly your own.