The Daring Adventures of the Visible Man

00:00:13 Visible Man

Hold it! Before you cross the street, we gotta make you… visible.

 

The Daring Adventures of the Visible Man!

 

What a breakfast. I’ve never had bacon at once so fatty and so crispy. Thank you so much for inviting me, Bobby’s mom.

 

00:00:36 Bobby’s Mom

We didn’t invite you. You just showed up.

 

00:00:39 Visible Man

Mrs. Bobby’s mom. I go wherever I’m needed. Today I came as soon as I heard Bobby was planning on making the trip to school all by himself.

 

00:00:48 Bobby’s Mom

You had six helpings of bacon.

 

00:00:51 Bobby

Also, Mr. Visible Man, my mom and dad already told me everything I need to know about biking on my own to school.

 

00:00:56 Bobby’s Dad

I think we should just let him get through his spiel.

 

00:00:59 Visible Man

Perfect timing, because I’m finally full. Let’s get to it, little Bobby.

 

00:01:03 Bobby

Start with the right gear.

 

00:01:06 Visible Man

Look, we all know Bobby, 11 years old, everyone’s favorite middle schooler. But Bobby’s set to bike to school on his own for the first time ever today, and he is nowhere near ready.

 

00:01:16 Bobby

I can hear you.

 

00:01:17 Visible Man

We’ve got a lot of work to do. The very first thing, we gotta get this guy dressed. I know, I know everyone’s always going on about how important wearing a helmet is. Well, it is!

 

00:01:28 Bobby

What if I get hat hair?

 

00:01:30 Visible Man

You know what’s more important than your hair? Your brain! You only get one brain. If you hit it hard enough without a helmet on, you could get really hurt. Even permanently. Or worse.

 

I’d say your helmet should fit your head like a glove, but really, it should fit your head like a helmet. That is, when you shake your head, there should be no wobbling. But we also don’t want the chin strap to cut into your skin.

 

Especially if your ride starts in the early morning when it’s still dark, you’re going to need some special duds to be my favorite type of way. Visible! If you don’t have a vest like this one, try wearing pants, shoes, and a coat that have reflective strips on them. And whatever you do, don’t wear all black. Rely on bright colors that make it easy for other people to see you.

 

But what Bobby’s wearing is only one half of the equation. We gotta make sure his bike looks as good as he does. Step one, check your gosh darn tires. Have they been inflated with the right amount of air?

 

00:02:24 Bobby

I can hear you, and my mom and I filled up the tires yesterday.

 

00:02:28 Visible Man

Oh yeah? Prove it.

 

00:02:30 Bobby

My mom told me in order to make sure my tires have enough air, I should use my thumb and my middle finger to squeeze my front and rear tires. They should feel firm, just like the soccer balls I use during soccer practice.

 

00:02:41 Visible Man

Not too shabby, but what about your brakes? You know, the things that help you stop and save you from crashing into every old thing.

 

00:02:48 Bobby’s Dad

Is that strange man still speaking as if he’s narrating a comic about bicycle safety?

 

00:02:53 Bobby

Yes, and it’s really annoying.

 

00:02:56 Bobby’s Dad

I think he thinks he’s helping.

 

00:02:58 Bobby

But I already know that to test my brakes, I should squeeze both handlebar brakes and watch when I squeeze to make sure the brake pad levers on both my front and rear wheels press against the bike ramp.

 

00:03:10 Visible Man

Little Bobby thinks he knows everything, but he can’t possibly know why it’s so important to find a safe, slow-speed route to school ahead of time with his parents, because he hasn’t seen what I’ve seen.

 

00:03:20 Bobby

Dad, who does he think he’s talking to?

 

00:03:22 Bobby’s Dad

Some people are very sick, Bobby.

 

00:03:25 Bobby

Visible Man origin story. Find your route.

 

00:03:28 Visible Man

How’d I end up this way, you’re asking? Back when I was just a kid myself, there was this kooky guy in my neighborhood, Dr. Griffin, who liked to do all sorts of odd experiments in his garage. One day, something terrible happened to him. All his life, Dr. Griffin had sought to invent a camouflaging technology, and now he had succeeded only too well. He had turned himself invisible.

 

How did I know all this? Because I was there when it happened. And why was I there? Because I’d gotten lost on my way to school! My parents and I hadn’t found the best route for me to take in advance.

 

00:04:13 Bobby’s Mom

Drew, I think that maybe we could just ask him to leave.

 

00:04:16 Bobby’s Dad

Maybe if we do what he says, he’ll go away.

 

00:04:19 Visible Man

You should always trust a parent or guardian to find the safest route home from school.

 

00:04:24 Bobby

Hit the road, safely.

 

00:04:26 Visible Man

So now our boy Bobby’s hitting the road, but we’re not done yet. First of all, let’s check out where he’s positioned in his road lane. Look at this kid go. He and his parents found a route filled with roadways that have a special lane just for bicyclists drawn onto the road. He’s staying right in this lane as he pedals forward. Bullseye! I’ve never been so proud.

 

If your route to school doesn’t have these special bicycle lanes, remember to stay to the right side of your lane. Don’t remember which is your left and which is your right? Just remember, your left hand makes an L. now he’s approaching an intersection. Okay, don’t panic. Don’t panic, kid.

 

00:05:01 Bobby

I’m fine.

 

00:05:02 Visible Man

Part of being visible to other people on the road is being predictable. Just like how your parents do when they’re driving a car, obey all traffic signals. So if you’re approaching a red light, stop. If you’re approaching a yellow light, slow to a stop. If you’re approaching a green light, keep pedaling through.

 

00:05:19 Bobby

But hold on. What do I do if I need to turn?

 

00:05:21 Visible Man

Not so confident now. Thank goodness I’m here. You know, this reminds me of when I faced off with one of my greatest foes.

 

00:05:29 Bobby

Visible Man origin story number 71. Signal the right way.

 

00:05:33 Visible Man

There he was across the street, this guy with a beard full of tentacles. He was certainly visible, but he wasn’t predictable. His tentacles were pointing all over the place. I had no idea if he was gonna go straight through the intersection or turn, so I had to use my built-in turn signals, my arms!

 

If I wanted to turn left at that intersection, I would stick my left arm out straight, just like this. If I wanted to turn right, I could bend my left arm like this. Or even easier, I could stick my right arm out straight like this. By using these hand signals and following other road rules, I made myself predictable to that tentacled monster. And when you’re predictable, you’re visible. He even learned something from me that day.

 

00:06:19 Bobby

That was close.

 

00:06:20 Visible Man

It would be nice if drivers were predictable, but they aren’t always. So you need to be on guard. Pull over to the sidewalk to wait until they’re gone.

 

00:06:27 Bobby

Don’t forget to lock up.

 

00:06:30 Visible Man

When you finally get to school, it’s time to lock up your bicycle so that you’re sure it’ll still be there for you at the end of the day. You know, this reminds me of another one of my adventures.

 

00:06:42 Bobby

See you later, I guess.

 

00:06:44 Visible Man

You’re right about that. You’ll see me soon, little Bobby, because I’m… Visible.

 

00:06:51 Kid

Thanks for watching another one of the Visible Man’s daring adventures. If you want more tips on how to walk or bike safely, check out these resources below.