Bicycles are a great form of exercise and an important part of childhood. However, according to KidsHealth.org, 300,000 children end up in the emergency room every year due to injuries involving a bicycle. It is important to teach children the essentials of bike safety to help prevent injuries or even tragic accidents.
Learning to Ride
Until your child has experience riding and controlling a bicycle, it will be dangerous for him to ride anyplace populated. You can teach your child to ride on an empty tennis court or cul de sac until he is able to maintain balance during turns, starting and stopping. It is essential that you keep young and inexperienced bike riders under careful supervision, says bicyclinginfo.org.
Safe Equipment
Having the right safety equipment and making sure your kid's bicycle is in proper working order can be a lifesaver. Your child should be taught the importance of always wearing his properly fitted and secured helmet, even for short trips, suggests KidsHealth.org. Making sure the bike is the correct size for your child can prevent accidents by making it easier to control and stop. A properly fitted bike should allow at least 1 to 3 inches between the child and the crossbar when they are straddling the bike. Also, you can instill the habit of checking the tires and brakes before rides to prevent unexpected mechanical failures, notes KidsHealth.org.
Obstacles
An important element of child biking safety is teaching kids how to anticipate and avoid obstacles. Common obstacles that could cause serious accidents include big hills, patches of gravel, sewer grates, potholes, curbs, pedestrians or even wet leaves. Teaching kids to keep a sharp eye on the road ahead and stay prepared for sudden stops can greatly reduce the risk of a cycling accident due to obstacles, notes KidsHealth.org.
Preventing Car Accidents
One of the most common accidents involving a car happens when a car unexpectedly pulls out of a parking lot or driveway, either hitting the cyclist, or pulling into the cyclist's path, causing him to crash into the car, notes BicycleSafe.com. Teaching your child to slow and prepare to stop, as well as making sure she attracts the driver's attention before proceeding, can help prevent a collision. Another common collision happens when people in parked cars open the car door in front of a cyclist. Older children should be taught to ride far enough left to avoid car doors. Finally, your child should be particularly cautious when proceeding straight through an intersection to avoid being hit by a car turning right.
Rules of the Road
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that children under the age of 9 ride on the sidewalks instead of the street. Younger kids may lack the cognitive ability to safely navigate traffic. Younger children should ride on the sidewalk, slow down for pedestrians and warn others if they ride up behind them to prevent collisions. Once children are old enough, you can teach them the same rules of the road for vehicles, along with the hand signals required to let drivers know which way they are going. According to bicyclinginfo.org, riding with traffic instead of against traffic is not only the law, but also much safer.
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