Kids love to ride bicycles to get to places like school, parks and stores or simply to have fun with their friends. Bikes are healthy because they encourage children to exercise and teach them to maintain good balance. Unfortunately they can be dangerous if they are not handled in the right manner. All children should learn about bike safety and be expected to follow certain rules. You can teach your child yourself, and your local police department may also offer bike safety classes or events.
Protection
The first step in bike safety for children begins before they even start to ride the bike. All bicycle riders should wear a helmet that is in good condition and properly fits. Nemours Kids Health says the helmet should be approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It should cover the child's forehand, and the strap should always be fastened and adjusted so it keeps the helmet snugly against the head. You can encourage your child to wear a helmet by letting him choose one with a color or pattern that he likes and decorating it with reflective stickers.
Equipment
The child's bike itself should be equipped with the proper equipment. Reflectors are important for bike safety because they make the child visible at night. It is even better to add a battery-operated light to the bicycle. A bell or horn gives your child a way to warn pedestrians in her path, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), although she can also shout a verbal warning when she intends to pass.
Riding
Riding requires proper clothing, which means nothing loose that could get caught in the chain. Shoes should be able to grip the pedals without slipping. Teach your child not to carry backpacks, bags or other items with strings or straps in a way that lets them hang near the chain. The NHTSA recommends wearing bright clothes so the child is more visible to motorists.
Dedicated bike paths are the safest place to ride, according to Nemours Kids Health, but youngsters often like to ride around the neighborhood. The NHSTA says kids under 10 should ride on sidewalks, while older children can ride in the street. Teach them to ride on the correct side, to obey stop signs and traffic rules and to use hand signals for turns. Let them know they should always stay single file when riding with friends on a street, riding with the flow of traffic. Never let your child use an iPod while biking. The musical distraction can keep him from hearing a horn or other important sounds.
Maintenance
A bike must be maintained properly in order to be safe, according to Nemours Kids Health. The wheels, handlebars and seat should all fit tightly in place without moving or wobbling. The chain should be tight enough and oiled on a regular basis. The tires should be properly inflated and the brakes should stop the bike smoothly, without any sticking. Teach your child to check his bike at least every week and to bring any problems to your attention. Help him with the inspection if he is too young to do it properly himself.
Warning
A child may not follow bike safety rules when he is out of a parent's view. Check up on your child by occasionally passing the areas where you know he is bike riding. Make sure that he is wearing his helmet and riding the bikes in a safe manner. Intervene if he is not. Grounding your child from riding his bike for a few days because he keeps taking off his helmet or doing something else unsafe may make him angry, but it could prevent him from being badly injured or even killed.
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