Here are some must-know bike safety tips to teach your children. I have compiled these tips from several reliable sources on the internet.
1) Always ride with a helmet. Statistics and experiences of people I know support the incredible importance of this rule for children and adults.
2) Stop at all stop signs and obey traffic lights just as cars do. Yield to pedestrians, stop at red lights, and be especially careful at intersections.
3) Always ride in the same direction as cars do. Never ride against traffic. When walking or running, it is just the opposite, you should walk and run against traffic.
4) Try to use bike lanes or designated bike routes whenever you can — not the sidewalk! Everything that I read indicated that it was alright for younger children to ride on the sidewalk if a bike trail is not available.
5) Never ride at dusk or in the dark. If you need to ride at this time, be sure to wear reflective gear and also be sure your bike is also outfitted with reflective material, or lights are even better.
6) Always stop and check for traffic in both directions when leaving a driveway, an alley, a curb or railroad tracks. Be careful when going across the tracks, as several of my own family members have gone down when crossing these.
7) Watch traffic closely for turning cars or cars leaving driveways, or pulling out of parking spaces.
8) Don't ride too close to parked cars — doors can open suddenly.
9) Always walk a bike across busy intersections using the crosswalk and following traffic signals. Often people riding in hilly areas don’t like to follow this one because they want to get a running start at a hill. Better to have to work a little harder at making it up that hill than finding yourself nursing a serious injury.
10) When riding in a group, always ride single file on the street. This is one that we have all broken at one time or another. It is very important to follow this one on a busy road.
11) When passing other bikers or people on the street, always pass to their left and call out "On your left!" so they'll watch for you. My family also yells out when there is a car passing.
12) Never share the seat with a friend or ride on the handlebars — only one person should be on a bike at a time. It's easy to lose balance or suddenly swerve into traffic when riding with a passenger. I still have a chip out of my tooth and a scar on both knees to help remind me of the importance of this rule.
13) Never wear headphones while biking — it's essential to hear everyone else on the road at all times. I know that it is tempting to put on the iPod and tune out the rest of the world, my family have all purchased a small case that attaches to their bike. It holds their iPod and has speakers.
14) Never hitch a ride on a moving vehicle.
15) Never change directions or lanes without first looking behind you, and always use the correct hand signals. This is one that I am working on because I find it difficult to let go of my handlebars with one hand for very long. I have to believe that with practice I will get better at signaling.
Use your left arm for all hand signals:
Left turn: After checking behind you, hold your arm straight out to
the left and ride forward slowly.
Stop: After checking behind you, bend your elbow, pointing your
arm downward in an upside down "L" shape and come to a stop.
Right turn: After checking behind you, bend your elbow, holding
your arm up in an "L" shape, and ride forward slowly.
Keep in mind that it is important for you to model these rules for your children when you are riding your bike. Even if they don't always listen to you,they are always watching you.
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