Question

Giving Bicyclists Their Three Feet

Once a year, thousands of Americans participate in National Bike-to-Work Day. And why not? Riding a bicycle to work is an ideal way to get exercise.
With that said, riding a bicycle can be dangerous, especially in a big city. Nationwide, bicycle-related injuries are on the rise. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 43,000 bicyclists were injured in traffic in 2007. Two years later, in 2009, 51,000 bicyclists were injured in traffic.
So how can we make our cities safer for bicycling? The most important thing to do is to widen bicycle lanes. Common wisdom suggests that bicyclists need at least three feet of distance from cars in order to be safe. But bicycle lanes are sometimes less than three feet wide. Worse, they are often sandwiched in between parked cars and traffic. If someone in a parked car suddenly opens the car door, a bicyclist can be injured or even killed.
What we need is a standard for bicycle lane width. A lane that is less than three feet wide almost guarantees an accident. Thus, all lanes should be at least three feet wide. Moreover, they should be positioned at least one foot from nearby parking spaces.
Wearing a bike helmet is a little like wearing a seat belt: it offers only partial protection. If we want to keep bicyclists safe from harm, we must also give them wider bicycle lanes. And city planners should impose minimum width standards if they are going to prevent accidents.
3
Why does the author say that wearing a bike helmet is like wearing a seat belt?
A.
The author thinks that one hundred percent of accidents can be prevented with helmets.
B.
The author believes that bike helmets and seat belts are not enough to keep us safe.
C.
The author worries that today's children think that wearing a bike helmet is "uncool."
D.
The author thinks that people will wear helmets only if they are required to do so by law.

Answer 1

B. The author believes that bike helmets and seat belts are not enough to keep us safe. The passage says helmets “offer only partial protection” and argues wider lanes are also needed.