Of course, dedicated race recumbents with an extremely low seating position for aerodynamic reasons will not be the right choice for beginners in everyday traffic. (Low racer riders usually claim the opposite) On most recumbent two-wheelers as well as on selected trikes with a high seat position, however, you ride at approximately the same seat height as a car driver. The slightly lower sitting position compared to a conventional bicycle is offset by the better visibility of the recumbent cyclist. On recumbent bicycles with high seating positions such as the HP Velotechnik Streetmachine Gte, most riders even have a good overview of many car roofs in front of you. For additional attention and visibility in traffic, you can install the bright orange HP Velotechnik flag. On a recumbent, you have a better view to the front and a much better eye contact with the drivers in their cars. From a psychological point of view, car drivers do not seem to feel as threatened by recumbent cyclists as they do by conventional cyclists, similar to what some pedestrians experience with horseback riders – on a recumbent bike you are on one level after all. Recumbents are usually safer: The lower center of gravity allows many models to be braked more efficiently without the risk of the rider flying over the handlebars like when riding a conventional upright bicycle. The recumbent cyclist can quickly put his legs on the ground when coming to a stop. In case of a collision, the legs are much more resistant than hands and head, and the falling height is much lower when sitting on a recumbent bike or stable trike. In fact, the rediscovery of the recumbent bike in the early 1970s in the United States was motivated by safety and security reasons. American scientists searched for more people-friendly bicycle concepts and developed the “Avatar Safety Bike,” the prototype of all “long wheelbase recumbent” known today. (Actually, this design had already gained some popularity in the 1930s in France and some other countries.) The history of recumbent development is exciting to read, for example in the book “Das Liegerad” by Gunnar Fehlau, published by Moby Dick Verlag. Or take a look at our press report section.