Bikes Pass Cars

A sign of the changing times is the Consumer Product Safety Commission's new mandatory safety standards for bicycles.

The new standards were adopted because, n 1973 - for the first time in decades -- more bicycles than cars were sold in the US. An estimated 15.4 million bikes were sold last year.

The Commission states that one million people were injured in bike accidents last year - with 419,000 of them requiring hospitalization. The new standards -- to go into effect next January 1st -- will specify stronger bike frames, pre-tested brakes, protective coverings for chains and more visible reflectors.

ZODIAC