Free online bike, scooter safety course now available 
IU Bloomington just launched a free, online course to fill a critical gap: teaching people how to safely navigate traffic on bikes and e-scooters.
Anna Dragovich, IU Bloomington’s bicycle coordinator, put together the course, “Ride Smart: Bicycle and E-Scooter Traffic Skills,” now available through IU Expand and Canvas. Ride Smart is part of a larger, ongoing series of transportation safety and greening initiatives at IU. Others include electric vehicle charging stations in every parking garage on campus and the Cyberinfrastructure Building, and Campus Bus being accepted into the Clean Bus Planning Award Program, which will help the campus understand how to reach decarbonization goals outlined in the IU Climate Action Plan.
“There’s incredible potential at IU Bloomington to boost our bicycle mode share,” Anna said. “One way we can do that is teaching people how to navigate traffic, ensuring they feel confident and secure on the road.”
The self-paced course, adapted from the League of American Bicyclists' Smart Cycling materials to include e-scooters, parallels traditional driving school instruction through engaging videos, diagrams, and quizzes. It is open to any interested IU students, faculty, staff, and members of the public. Participants may receive a completion certificate and further explore specific modules of interest. The first members of the IU community to complete the course and receive a certificate will also be eligible to receive a free bicycle helmet.
"Ride Smart” is designed for everyone from experienced riders to those new to or rediscovering bicycling, preparing for a charity ride, or exploring e-scooters. Participants will come away with a better understanding of how to safely interact with vehicles, pedestrians, and others on the road while developing (or fine-tuning) skills to anticipate and react to potential hazards.
The course is divided into three comprehensive modules:
- Pre-ride preparation. Module one covers bike selection, maintenance, and safety; helmet fitting, use of visibility lights, and secure parking; and how to dress appropriately for varying weather conditions.
- Rules of the road. Module two teaches defensive riding skills, such as lane positioning, signaling, and navigating intersections, which help riders become more visible and predictable while anticipating the actions of others.
- Hazard avoidance. The final module addresses crash and hazard avoidance, teaching riders to identify common hazards and apply strategies to prevent crashes.
Just like driving school, there is no substitute for practicing these skills on an actual bike or e-scooter, Anna said. The course encourages riders to connect with local cycling and e-scooter communities for additional support and practice.
“This also supports the university’s goal of becoming a more bicycle- and e-scooter-friendly campus, so we’re happy to see this idea becoming a reality,” Anna said. “My hope is that, by the end of the course, participants are more confident when riding in traffic—and that they inspire more people to consider active modes of transportation on a regular basis.”
IU Transportation units on the Bloomington campus include Transportation Demand Management, IU Parking, Fleet Services, and Campus Bus. All are part of Campus Auxiliaries.
