Using a bike rack for your bikes is always a great way to transport or store all your bikes. Although, relevant safety measures must be taken while you are doing that. Otherwise, it can damage your carriage vehicle, your bikes, and other passengers and vehicles on the road.
So getting some information on bike rack safety is a great idea before buying a new bike rack to be used on your vehicle. Many accidents happened to date with the careless use of bike racks on the vehicles.
Using a bike rack safe also includes the fact that it must be in the legal way possible. Not using a rack safely is itself illegal, making the license plate and lights of the vehicle not visible.
So, here are some of the things that you have to take care of when using a bike rack on your vehicle while traveling anywhere.
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Make Sure About the Height
After a long drive along with your bikes on top of the car, you are driving relaxed back to your house. That road near to your house has a small rod over it for some purpose. Or, the garage door is not high enough to give an easy entrance for the car along with the bikes.
In this kind of situation, there are chances that your car and the bikes on top of it crashing into any one of the objects mentioned. A crash like that can destroy your car, bikes, and the racks that carry the bikes.
Making the chances for that kind of situation not happening is the right way to deal with it. So one of the first possible things to prevent it from happening is not using a roof rack for the bikes if possible.
At least not on a car or SUV that is already taller than usual. In the case of a small garage and hitting into the top of the entryway, you can add some sensors on the top of the garage entry.
Or some visible obstruction that will make you get out of the car for anything before driving inside the garage. This way, you will see the bikes on top of the car and can be removed safely.
Beyond all, people love to modify their cars with big tires and higher suspensions to get a rugged 4 x 4 look. It is not bad, but using a rack for bikes on top of it might be bad.
The modifications done to the vehicle itself can increase the height of the car. And that, together with racks, can cause chaos all around the roads and check posts that have lower ceilings unless the vehicle has some automatic suspension system.
Besides, when using a roof rack, mostly recommended rack for a busy road is the one that can remove the front tire and lock onto the rack.
This will offer more stability and keep the bikes secured on top of the car. In addition, using extra straps with already available locks for a roof rack can increase the safety of the bikes along with everything around it.
How to Use a Hitch Rack Safely
Hitch bike racks are one of the most used racks by car and SUV owners for many reasons. First of all, it allows more safety for the car and the other passengers on the road.
However, a hitch bike rack also becomes a problem if it covers the backlight of the carriage vehicle. Besides, there is number plate covering situations too when it comes to hitching bike racks.
Another circumstance in which the hitch bike rack becomes unsafe is when the rack and the bikes on the rack stand too much out of the size of the vehicle. This happens more for small cars without enough width to sides to cover the length of bikes.
In this kind of situation, you need extra care on both sides and your vehicle’s backside to make sure that you are driving responsibly without making it hard for others.
Extra Tips to be Safe with Bike Racks
When you are carrying your bike very near to the car, remember to turn the pedal on the side of the car to a surface where it will not get in contact with your car’s paint.
Always review the installation instructions and make sure that you covered everything said in the instructions when installed it yourself.
If any one of the points in all of that instructions gets messed up, there the chance of an unsafe ride with the racks is increasing bit by bit.
Tips to Buy the Perfect Rack for a Safe Ride
Here are some of the points that you can consider for safer use of bike racks alongside your car.
Choose the car according to the Rack
There is a problem between racks and cars when it comes the time for locking that rack on the car. It is mostly because of the incompatible size of the rack or the car.
So, you may get yourself into a situation that purchases a new bike rack essential. But, at the same time, if you are buying a new car and you already have a bike rack with you, then go with a car that can handle the rack you have safely on it.
This is very important for you as a person who is so into bike riding routine. You can check with the car manufacturer’s customer to get an idea about the compatibility of a specific model of bike or any kind of rack on it.
Keep the feet secured when locking a trunk mount rack
When you are locking your new trunk-mount bike rack on the trunk area of your car, it is significant to keep the lower stands of the rack securely on the number of the car.
Otherwise, it can get wobbly during the ride and the bikes and make a big mess on the road. Or, you will find scratches when you arrive at the destination or while removing the rack.
Keep the wheels stable and secure
Even though you locked the bikes on the rack securely, there is a chance for the wheel to rotate in some bumpy rods. So, you have to make sure that the wheels are locked efficiently that it does not get any gap to rotate on the rack.
There are extra straps available with most of the bike racks in the market. You can either use their own lock system or an aftermarket strap to keep the wheels firmly.
Lock the bike Higher from the ground
Whenever you are locking the bikes on the rack, it is crucial to hang the bike higher from the ground. Or else, it can be a great danger for you and others on the road.
This care is more needed when using the hanging model hitch rack or the spare tire rack on a low-base car. Instead, for an SUV, the height will not become a problem because of the natural taller build of the SUVs.
Conclusion
Here we discussed the things you can do to improve the bike rack safety on other vehicles. All the mentioned points are essential to be noted.
Many accidents are happening around the world because of the unconventional use of bike racks on vehicles. And many of them end up getting in trouble with the law or a destroyed car or bike.