Karen

Tips For Property Investors In Florida

Owning rental properties in the state of Florida can prove to be a very lucrative business. With many people opting to rent versus buy, at least initially, it opens the door to a wealth of income for investors. However, not every property owner is successful. Listed below are a few tips to improve your chances for investors in Florida

Property Management Company

Let’s face it, you have enough to do with regard to your rental properties and finding the right tenants can take up valuable time. Thankfully, there are companies that specialize in finding highly qualified individuals. For example, if you own a rental property in Gainesville, Florida, companies that specialize in property management in Gainesville, FL will do a background check, check your credit scores, and interview potential candidates prior to consulting with you.

Making Repairs

Just like with the purchase of a home, people interested in a rental property want to know that everything is in good working order. An older home may have clogged pipes where the water pressure is low and outdated windows that cause higher than normal heating and cooling bills. Thankfully, you can have a full home inspection completed prior to listing the property to ensure that your rental property is competitive.

Location

The location of your rental property is just as important as its condition. For instance, if it’s on a cul-de-sac in a desirable neighborhood, chances are good that you’ll have people lined up wanting to rent it. On the other hand, if it’s out in the boonies a long way away from schools, stores, and parks, while your property may look good, it may be harder to find tenants.

The Housing Market

The housing market has highs and lows. And, unfortunately during a buyer’s market, getting qualified tenants can become quite difficult, since they are looking to buy their own home versus renting. Unless you have a lot of property and money in reserve, this can leave you strapped for cash. You may also allow otherwise unqualified renters and this can be a dangerous and ultimately expensive practice, which is a poor choice for investors in Florida

Expansion

Florida is one of several states that are experiencing a population explosion. This will benefit you in that, as people continue to move to the state, they will need places to live. Most people when they move to a new state want to live in the area for a bit prior to the actual purchase of a home. Purchasing a home in areas that people want to live in will provide dividends.

Cash Reserves for Repairs

While you may do a thorough inspection of the property prior to listing, repairs will need to be done somewhere down the road. In order to ensure that, when a tenant calls and needs something fixed, you are able to do it, you need to have money set aside in a separate account. This will allow you to continue to satisfy your tenants and keep your property occupied.

Know the Going Rates

If you opt-out of using a property management company to find tenants, you’ll need to do your research when it comes to the average rent for properties located in your area. If you list the property at too high a rate and price it out of most peoples’ price range, you’ll end up with a vacant dwelling. And, if you price the rent too low, you may attract the wrong people.

Is Property Worth It?

Perhaps one of the most overlooked aspects of buying a property for rent is whether the property is worth the investment. This is especially true for new landlords. You get excited about the first purchase and the prospect of making money. Unfortunately, there are many costs associated with owning a home. You have mortgage loans, taxes, insurance, management companies, and attorney fees and repairs.

Investing in property in Florida can provide additional income and financial stability. However, if you don’t buy in a good location and inspect the property ahead of time, you may end up drowning in debt.

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Finance For The 50+ Crowd

Karen · Leave a Comment

Important Things to Do For Your Finances

Your finances will determine your quality of life. The more wealth you have, the better your quality of life. You have access to so many more things than you would have otherwise had depending on your income and wealth. That is why it is important for you to take care of your wealth and try to grow it as best you can. This is even more important when you get to be over 50 years old. You don’t want to be working as you did during your 50s. Your 50s should be a time of relaxing and unwinding until you can get to a better situation. Even passing on your wealth is something you will need to consider during this time. You have to do things like avoid probate and make a decent will that protects everyone you care about. Understanding the financial world is critical to success in this arena.

Understanding finances is even more important when you are over 50. At that age, it becomes critical to your survival. Millions of people every year go broke after they stop working. They spend the last few years of their lives working at a job they don’t love. They also spent time not getting the things they want and barely making it. By doing the right things financially, they can achieve a certain level of success that few people can have.

Investing For the Future

Before you get to 50, investing is critical. You have to spend your time and money investing in a variety of places that will continue to grow. Making your money work for you is the first step to financial success. Investing should always start early. It should begin the moment you start working. It is something that needs a lot of work and investment to accumulate. Eventually, you get to a level where you are over 50 and your investments start paying you a salary that is close to what you were making when you worked full-time. This is the dream of every person in the modern economy. They want to be able to work and invest money so that it pays them after they have stopped working.

Some people, however, choose to try other investment strategies that will pay off more quickly. These people would rather take the risk than take a smaller return. There are merits to this way of thinking, but it can be dangerous if you don’t get it right. There have been many people who lost everything by taking a risk and not being smart in the way they calculated things. For example, someone who invests all their money in the stock market and then loses it when the company they invested in goes bankrupt. This happened with Enron.

Your Goals When You’re Over 50

We go to many different phases of life. At the start, we are helpless and our parents are responsible for almost all aspects of our well-being. We need their help to do everything and we aren’t functionally able to take care of ourselves. As time goes on, we learn more and gain experience. We can invest money and also plan for our future. Eventually, we get to a stage where we are almost at retirement. At this age, we should have already laid down the foundations for a great retirement. Retirement involves being able to take care of yourself without working. That means the money you put away during your working years is put to use. The most important thing for you to do as a goal is to have a lot of money put away. You also need to have good insurance since this is when you are most likely to need it. The last three years of your life are when you need to have great medical coverage so you can have a better quality of life.

Lifelong Financial Success

Financial success past 50 is difficult. However, it is an essential part of having a future worth living. You spend your time doing a lot of great things in life, but after you become 50 it all changes and the trajectory of your life goes from being one where you make money to one where you spend it. Having an understanding of finance is critical to being successful in this arena.

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The Millennial Way: More Light. Character, and Ambiance

Karen · Leave a Comment

The millennial generation is finally getting on the housing ladder, en masse. For such a long time, this particular generation was unable to afford a home. Thus, they lived mostly in rented apartments, in large cities where they worked. Nonetheless, they have finally entered the market and are having a profound effect in terms of how modern homes are styled. Interior design has always had a mixture of generations, all giving their input to what a contemporary family home should look like. However, as more and more of the older generation bow out of the industry, millennials are gaining a larger say. If you would like to know how they are changing the way we live and see our homes, look no further.

Light running wild

Lighting plays a more important role in our homes than ever before. Natural lighting is especially beloved the millennial generation. Even though you can and should have LED lamps and bulbs all around the home, natural lighting should be your main source of lighting for the majority of the day. Large open patio doors and windows are especially important. They allow the garden to be seen from afar, without restriction. This does mean you will need tempered single sheet glass. Since there is less framing in the structure, you should consider getting triple-glazed glass doors and windows.

Natural light is also running wild, thanks to the open floor plan. Natural light is not only allowed to floor into the home but then encouraged to run free with very little getting in the way of it. Therefore, focus on an open floor right beyond the windows; at the moment of light entering the home. Move seats, chairs, tables, drawers, and even window sill figurines out to the way. It may look slightly bare, but the benefit of having lots of sunlight in your home far outweighs the lack of style in certain places.

Cheaper but more character

Eco-friendly designs are the way of the future. Millennials are deeply concerned with creating a sustainable home that coincides with their environmental concerns. What we’re starting to notice is, culture and beliefs have incredible influence in the way millennials style their homes. One notable effort is the desire to have cheaper materials but relies on the unique designs and styles of the items, to make the home beautiful and suave. Consider a copper or brass clock instead of stainless steel or plastic. This is a cheaper metal, but it’s slightly pink and orange tint gives off a more bare and industrial vibe. Consider brass for your lamps, taps, water jug, picture frames, showerhead, and cutlery. It’s a cheaper metal but it has bucket-loads of character.

The richness in the ambiance

Millennials care about how their home makes them feel through all our senses. It’s not always about style, but the ambiance of the entire house. For one thing, the smell of the home is increasingly taking center stage. That’s why non-toxic cleaners are out and no longer be tolerated. They care about brand values, safety, transparency, and efficacy. The EPA has created a ‘safer choice’ list of products that millennials are more likely to take seriously. Therefore, for your home, you should use cleaning products that don’t leave a nasty chemical smell and instead use a product with natural soft tones of lime, citrus, and zest.

A simple corner

It’s not always about style but about function in the millennial home. Homes are no longer just temporary sleeping units, we need them to be more about comfort and reliance. We rely on our homes to make us feel safe. We rely on our homes to make us feel like we belong somewhere. We also rely on our homes to give us different forms of relaxation. That’s why the reading nook is making a gigantic comeback in the contemporary millennial home.

Choose a corner in your home that offers you enough space to take a nap. Select a seat that allows you to sit up straight, lean back and even crawl up and provide ample room for your feet. Select a soft yet breathable throw that you can use to keep yourself warm in the cold weeks of this winter. An LED reading lamp needs to be placed on top of a small personal drawer. From now on, this shall be your simple corner, where you can read a book, be alone with your thoughts or just take a nap.

The millennial generation is slowly but surely, taking a bigger piece of the interior design pie. The industry is shifting towards this way of thinking. Start off by allowing much more natural light inside your home.

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How You Can Embrace Your Golden Years – Age With Ease

Karen · Leave a Comment

Entering into your golden years certainly isn’t what it used to be. Today’s 50-year-old isn’t at all what it was 20, 30, or 40 years ago. In fact, for many people, their senior years can be some of the most enjoyable, stress-free, and exciting times of their life. Of course, that’s not to say aging is always easy. There is bound to be bumps in the road, and it’s all in how you handle those bumps that determines the outcome. Here are some ways you can embrace your golden years, age with ease, and really learn to find all the positives.

age with ease

Become a World Traveler

Once you no longer have the worries and stress of a full-time job, your retirement years can be the perfect opportunity to become a world traveler. Many seniors choose to downsize, selling their large home and opting for a smaller more affordable space, which frees up cash for travelling. Perhaps you’ve had those bucket list destinations you’ve been dreaming about visiting for years, so why put it off any longer?

Even if you’re not interested or financially able to travel the world, simple things like a little day trip or a few days on the road touring around can be just as exciting and enjoyable.

Create a Robust Social Circle

This is also a great time to strengthen your bonds with friends and family and create your own social circle. Many seniors end up feeling lonely and withdrawn simply because they lack this all-important social circle.

Getting together with friends and family for a coffee, a meal, taking a class together, shopping, or even visiting local attractions is a great way to keep that connection with people.

Don’t Shy Away from Technology

While technology may seem a bit intimidating, it’s also a great way to communicate with friends and family, find information that you’re after, and provide you with entertainment. Rather than chalk it up to something that is too difficult to learn, make it your goal to master a smartphone, tablet, computer, and other smart devices.

If you’re feeling really over your head, many towns and cities offer classes that can help you to at least master the basics.

Coping with Aches and Pains

One of the most common issues people tend to have as they age is the occurrence of aches and pains. These may be sporadic and only linger for a few days at a time, or they may be chronic due to such things as arthritis. Regardless of the reason, these aches and pains in your muscles and joints can make moving about and going about your regular daily activities uncomfortable, and in severe cases – impossible.

So, how can you cope and manage the pain? Well, there are a number of treatments and tips that can help alleviate and even get rid of the pain. One product that people are really starting to embrace and begin to understand its full benefits is CBD oil. CBD oil has been shown to help where pain is concerned, in particular, with inflammation associated with arthritis. If you can address the inflammation and bring it down, the pain itself will be reduced.

The key with CBD oil is that you make sure you are buying from a reputable company that is selling a safe and legal product. Hempura is a great example of such a company that offers CDB oil in the UK, which is fully compliant where safety and legal restrictions are concerned. All of Hempura’s products are tested to be <0.05% THC and CBN, which means you don’t have to worry about using it. The oil can be directly applied to areas of your body that are in pain, providing almost immediate results.

Outside of CBD oil, you can also look into hot and/or cold packs and OTC pain medications to relieve pain and inflammation.

Make Sure You’re Treating Your Body Well

Then there is your overall physical health, which should be a top priority no matter what age you are. Keeping your body and mind healthy can be done by eating a healthy well-balanced diet, getting enough sleep, staying well-hydrated, and of course, getting regular exercise. Exercise doesn’t have to translate into a gym membership, something as simple as a brisk daily walk counts as physical activity and will benefit you.

Keep a Positive Mindset Helps You Age With Ease

This final tip can be easier said than done. Sometimes it can be hard to stay in a positive mindset, especially if you’re dealing with stress, health issues, pain, and so forth. The key is to try to find positives no matter the situation. Positive thinking is extremely beneficial to your overall mental health, helping to ward off depression, anxiety, and stress, and helps you age with ease .

Making Your Golden Years Your Best Years

By following these tips and advice, you’ll be making sure that your golden years are some of your very best years.

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Travel Tech You Absolutely Cannot Live Without On Your Next Trip

Karen · Leave a Comment

If you thought that tech was limited to the business world, you’re sadly mistaken. Technology has also found its way into the world of travel and is changing tourism as we know it. Who would have thought? The younger generation already sees the benefits. The internet has opened up access to parts of the world that many people never thought they’d visit. Apps and gadgets have made it easier than ever before to have a great time when you arrive at your destination. So what does all this vaunted technology actually look like? What is the travel tech you absolutely can’t live without? Let’s take a look at what’s out there.

Additional Power Packs

Today’s smartphones are marvels of modern engineering, but they have an Achilles heel: the battery. While the other components have been doubling in capability every couple of years or so, cells have been stuck in the doldrums. Smartphone batteries have improved by just five or ten percent per year.

This state of affairs isn’t a problem when you’re at home, just a couple of steps away from the nearest power outlet. But, it can be an issue if you’re hiking, on a tour bus, or slumming it at a campsite. Your phone whirrs away as it usually does, before failing catastrophically, when you need it most.

Power packs, therefore, are the tech world’s solution. These are essentially giant batteries that you can lug around with you in your luggage and then plug them into your phone to charge it when it starts to flat-line. Most of these packs are quite large compared to the battery in your phone, providing perhaps four separate full charges before they run flat themselves. That’s almost enough juice to keep you going for a whole week!

Smartphone Gimble

If you’ve ever watched a video of somebody cycling or skiing on YouTube, you’ll have noticed something rather odd – the camera doesn’t shake at all. The reason it doesn’t is because of a kit called a gimble. Essentially, it’s an arm that allows the camera to compensate for the movements of the person carrying it, creating a smooth image.

Until recently, there was no such thing as a gimble for your phone. But with the arrival of the OSMO Mobile and Mobile 2, that’s all changed. You just put your device in the gripper and then carry it around with you wherever you go. The gimble will then smooth out the video feed, even if you’re running along the beach or climbing a thousand steps to a Buddhist temple in Tibet. This is a great piece of travel tech you absolutely can’t live without.

Luggage That Powers Your Devices

We’ve already discussed the problem of phones running low on battery while you travel. Now, though, a company called Away thinks that it has come up with a solution: a travel case that comes with an built-in charger.

Travel tech you absolutely can't live without — Pixabay – CC0 License

The exterior of the case is the usual rigid polycarbonate – no surprises there. But the interior is something wholly different, with lithium-ion batteries built right into the frame.

Just be warned, though, you can’t take lithium-ion batteries with you on a plane because of the fire risk, so the practical advantages of this type of case for long-distance travel are lacking. But if you’re going somewhere in the car, it’s perfect.

Mobile Tablet Readers

There’s nothing like sitting by the pool, reading a good book while you relax in the sunshine. It’s what holidays are all about. People love books – they’re interesting and whisk you off on a whistle-stop tour of your imagination. But books aren’t THAT popular – not in the same way that mobile devices are, anyway.

The good news, though, is that with devices like the Fire HD from Amazon, you can have the best of both worlds. You can indulge in your favorite novel and then when you’ve had enough of that, watch a bit of TV. Granted, it’s more expensive than books from the discount store, but you get a heck of a lot for your money.

Bluetooth Travel Speakers

Nobody takes their hi-fi on holiday with them – it’s just not practical. But that doesn’t mean you can’t listen to your playlists on demand. You can!

Bluetooth speaker technology has come on leaps and bounds over the last five years or so. Manufacturers know that people want speakers that are small enough to fit in their travel cases, waterproof enough to survive the beach, and loud enough to be worthwhile. Today, a range of companies, including Bose, make speakers that are ideal for long summer holidays, perfect for blasting your tunes all afternoon by the pool while enjoying a cocktail. Or two.

Translator Apps

If you’re traveling to a non-English-speaking part of the world, it can be a challenge to communicate with local people. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation at a restaurant where you have no idea whether the waiter has understood a word you’ve said or not. Here’s where translator apps can help. All you do is speak into the app, and it then transcribes your sentence and translates it into your chosen language. All you then do is show the output to the waiter (or whoever), and they can see precisely what you mean.

Using apps like these might create problems with your data plan, at least according to operators like SMARTY mobile UK. They warn that some providers charge extra, depending on where you travel, so always check ahead before tapping into the cloud on your mobile. You don’t want the ordering of your food to cost you more than the eating of it.

When it comes to translator apps, there’s only one game in town: Google. The California-based search giant has the best machine learning technology, and its translator is currently streets ahead of its nearest rival. That could, of course, change, but don’t hold your breath. It is a fabulous piece of travel tech that you absolutely can’t live without.

Foodie Apps

There’s no denying that food is a massive part of the travel experience. For some, it’s the highlight. I know it is for me. Sometimes, though, you get an itch to try something specific – perhaps a dish you’ve seen on your favorite travel blog. Translating the picture of the thing you want to eat into a restaurant decision on the ground used to be a massive challenge. But with the advent of apps like Foodspotting, that’s all changed. You just hop on the app, look at pictures of dishes you like, and then grab the location so that you can try it yourself. Simple!

Packing Cubes

Strictly speaking, packing cubes aren’t high-tech, but they are a fun gadget, and they do come in handy if you’re planning a long break. The purpose of these packs is to allow you to stuff as many clothes into your suitcase as possible, without winding up with a jumbled mess. Packing cubes are mainly just small cases in which you put clothes and then use a vacuum to suck out all the air, saving space.

White Noise Sound Machines

Changing location can have a massive impact on your ability to sleep. If you live in the country but visit a city, it can be difficult to ignore all the cars and sirens going on outside. Fortunately, you can blot out the sounds coming through your hotel or apartment window with a portable white noise sound machine. The way these machines work is very interesting. What they’re mostly doing is churning out a jumble of sound frequencies that have the effect of canceling out incoming noise. The result is a much quieter experience than you would get if you went without.

Portable Steamer

Unfortunately, not all travel is for pleasure – for some, it’s business. Thus if you are traveling for some sort of corporate event, making sure that your shirt and pants are free from wrinkles is vital. You don’t want to open your suitcase, only to find that your suit is practically unwearable. Here again, innovative companies can help. Firms like OVO, for instance, now sell travel irons and steamers that don’t rely on cords or sockets at all. You just switch them on as you would any other device, and then use them as a regular iron to relieve your garments from all those unsightly fold marks.

Currency Converter Apps

When you’re on holiday, it can sometimes be a challenge to know how much money you’re spending. What do 25,000 Indians rupees translate into in dollar terms? Often, you don’t have a clue. Here’s where currency converter apps can make a big difference to your experience. If you see a price tag in a shop abroad, you can just whack the price into your app and get a real-time estimate of the dollar value. It’s the sort of thing that helps you avoid getting scammed and well worth downloading onto your phone.

A Travel Pillow

Finally, where would any of us be without a good travel pillow? Sleeping on a long flight is practically impossible. Your head just lops around whenever you drift off, instantly waking you up. Travel pillows wrap around your head, supporting it if you do decide to get a little shut-eye.

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Tips On Shopping To Suit Your Body

Karen · Leave a Comment

When shopping for yourself, some people love it, others hate it. It’s all about how you feel in the clothing that you wear. Shopping for your body is something that can be difficult to master, so here are some tips that might help when shopping to suit your body.

shopping to suit your body — **Image Source**

Don’t Stick With One Size

You will likely have a size that you always stick with when it comes to shopping. However, the problem with that is that clothing companies operate with different measurements, and that can change the sizing. So in one store you might be a size 10, but in another you could be a size 12. That’s why it’s important to try out other sizes, rather than just sticking to the one. Being able to fit clothing to your body is usually dictated by the sizes you go for, and you may end up buying sizes that aren’t fitting your body properly. Rethink what your size might be now, especially if you’ve noticed a slight change in how much you’ve grown or how much weight you might have lost over the past few months. Our body shapes can often change quite regularly, so always keep checking on this.

Experiment With Fabrics

There are so many different fabrics to try on when it comes to clothing, whether that’s plus size lingerie, choosing between lace or meshing, or trousers that are denim or leather-look. Everyone is different when it comes to what they find comfortable, too, so don’t just stick to what you’ve tried before. Experiment with different fabrics and the forms that they come in when it comes to clothing. You might be surprised by what you enjoy wearing and what feels good on you, especially when it comes to the fit.

Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Comfort zones are something not all of us like to step out of every very often. However, you can often find that you like something when you try an outfit that’s daring, or one you wouldn’t have thought to take off the hanger. Make sure you’re doing this when you go shopping and make those items your wild card to try on. You’ll probably find that as you shop, you’ll add more wild cards if you end up liking the results that you get from them.

Love The Body You’re In

The body you’ve got is one you need to start feeling more at ease with. Our bodies change over time, and we’re not all going to look the same, no matter how much you wish it to be so. It’s important to love your body and what you’ve been given. Having that confidence is going to make you look and feel good in everything you put on, no matter whether it suits you or not. It’s all about that confidence and feeling good in your own skin that really makes the difference.

Use these tips to make your next shopping experience more about shopping to suit your body, than about finding the latest trends or styles that are popular.

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How Consumers Wish Businesses Would Treat Them

Karen · Leave a Comment

It’s important for businesses to continually assess if they’re doing enough to please their customers and clients, because at the end of the day, that is who supports them. However, it can sometimes be that a new, fresh business on the scene takes this approach to an almost overwhelming degree, not only generating incredible stress and burden on the shoulders of their employees, but this approach can seem less sincere than it should be.

how consumers wish businesses would treat them — Pexels – CC0 License

How can businesses connect with their audience without artifice, as any revenue-chasing enterprise is of course peppered with the ulterior motive of securing your business? Well, it’s worthwhile for them to first listen to their audience before they come to any conclusions, and to understand that most rational clients or consumers do not wish for a business to bend over backwards each time we engage with them, but rather to make this process as seamless and appropriately attentive as can be.

With that in mind, the relationship should (all being well) flow from there with potential. With the following advice, we hope you can feel the same:

A Uniform, Tracked Approach

When we deal with a business, we usually hope that we are treated just as anyone else. For instance, we hope to ensure our support case is routinely tracked and if we have to speak to more than one support agent, that they can easily assess the details of our case without us having to continually repeat ourselves. This gives us the impression that staff are caring for us and familiar with us, and that can do plenty to help us feel accustomed to a certain service. This can be found in the small implements, such as through an email signature manager and the ability for chat agents to go-off script on your website.

The Value Of Custom

The value of custom is also important to understand and appreciate. A customer should never feel less of a priority than others you deal with simply because they purchase less, do not subscribe to your VIP membership package or may be a regular, yet not totally lucrative client. The value of custom is something we hope to be appreciated for in the first instance, even if that’s through a thank you. We enjoy feeling as though the business relationship is mutual, even if it’s anonymous such as in a storefront setting.

Consumer’s Support

Consumer support can mean plenty in the long run, particularly if you’re open enough to curate it and care for it. We wish to care for and support the businesses that support us. For instance, we may share deals we think are good for others if they are regularly held, or will be happy to take part in promotional competitions if we like the brand. It’s important for businesses to generate goodwill, as it will ensure this is a possibility.

With this advice, we hope you can manage your business while thoroughly understanding the needs most customers have.

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Stay Safe While Cycling On The Road

Karen · Leave a Comment

Cycling is a fantastic form of exercise and an environmentally friendly way to get around. However, you may be concerned about ways to stay safe while cycling on the road. After all, if you did get into an accident then you would likely come off much worse than a car. If you are in an accident then you may want to contact a bicycle accident law firm.

However, there are precautions you should take to help keep yourself and others safe. As a cyclist, you have a responsibility to be aware of the road, make yourself visible and abide by the law. Before you get on a bike, read up on what you need to know and make sure your bike is fit for purpose.

cycling on the road

Maintain visibility

The top priority when you are on a bike is making sure you are seen. Wear bright colors or Hi-Viz and be sure to have a white light at the front of your bike, as well as a flashing red light at the back.

Where it is safe to do so, make eye contact with drivers to ensure that you are safe.

Be aware

You need to be aware of everything on the road. You also need to make sure that other vehicles are aware of you. Be cautious about drivers’ turning intentions, as they may not always indicate. You should also try and keep out of the driver’s blind spots as much as you can. If you don’t drive and are unsure about blind spots then click here for more information.

Finally, be aware of any hazards on the road. Holes, parked cars or pedestrians could all be hazardous for a bike. If you need to cycle around something, be sure that drivers behind you are aware of your intentions.

Signal

Be sure to let drivers know of your intentions. When you are turning, clearly hold your arm out in the direction in which you are turning. If you need to stop, extend your arm into the air.

If drivers know where you plan on moving, then they will be able to respond appropriately.

Another important aspect of signalling is having and using a bell. If you need to alert a driver or a pedestrian of your presence, then you can ring your bell.

Rules of the road

As a cyclist, you still need to know the rules of the road. If you do get into an accident and you have not been following the rules of the road then you could have legal action taken against you. Learn the rules of the road in order to stay safe while cycling on the road.

Maintenance

Be sure that your bike is safe to use. Take it for check-ups regularly just as you would a car. If you are cycling quickly and something goes wrong, then it could cause an accident. In between check-ups, keep the chain oiled and the tires pumped yourself.

Consider your route

Some roads are more dangerous for cyclists than others. Always look for good cycling routes. Where you can, opt for roads with designated cycling lanes, avoid large roundabouts and roads with a high-speed limit.

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