Bike carriers are becoming increasingly popular as more and more people want to take to cycling for exercise and as a most enjoyable way of getting about. Cycling to and from work to save on fuel costs and carbon footprint is a great way to make use of your bike but there's so much more you can do with it in your leisure time.

If you want to venture further afield than your local rides you really need to take your bike by car to a suitable starting off point. Cars that can carry a family of four, say, with their bikes as well are pretty thin on the ground! However an average car with a cycle carrier fitted will do just that.

Bike carriers leave the interior of the car for people and can take several bikes if you buy the right one. You'll have to decide whether you want a roof mounted bike rack or one that fits on the back of the car. A rear mounted bike rack may be of the strap on type or towbar mounted.

Whichever type you prefer safety is a major factor to take into account. In comparative tests both roof mounted and towbar mounted bike carriers score well for overall safety.

Safety is usually regarded as being a matter of secure fixing, both of the bike rack to the car and the bikes to the bike rack, coupled with the strength of the carrier or rack. The easiest way to be sure of all three factors is to buy the best quality bike rack you can and make sure you follow the fitting instructions to the letter. A Thule bike carrier for example is one you could choose with complete confidence and you'll get easy to follow instructions with it.

If you have any doubts about your ability to fit your Thule bike carrier yourself the dealer will do it for you. The importance of correct fitting can't be over emphasised. Just imagine the consequences of a bike rack falling of the back of a car on a motorway, or four bikes falling off the carrier!

Once you have a bike carrier correctly fitted to your car it just remains to make sure the bikes are properly secured to the carrier. Many modern bike carriers have very simple clamp devices to do this which makes it much easier for you when loading and unloading. If straps are used it's very important to check them for tightness at frequent intervals on your journey.

Safety isn't just about preventing bikes from being scattered all over the road amongst the traffic though. There's your safety when loading and unloading to think about. This goes right back to the original debate about whether to go for a roof mounted carrier or a rear mounted one.

If you're contemplating a roof carrier you need to consider several factors. How high is your car roof from the ground? How tall are the people who'll be lifting the bikes on and off? How strong are they? Remember, if you're of average height you'll be lifting bikes above your head. That could be a very easy way to injure your back or shoulders.

A lot of modern bikes are much lighter than the older models were but not all. Mountain bikes can be quite chunky! Safety's all about avoiding injuries to yourself and other people and lifting is one of commonest ways of injuring oneself.

Safety's best achieved, not by reams of paperwork and rigid rules but by thinking about what you're going to do before you do it and of course by applying good old common sense. Think it through and you should be okay!