Kids love bike rides. My children are never without a bike, a scooter or a skateboard. Anything with wheels! It can give them a little taste of independence or add another opportunity to show off their skills. As long as you follow these bicycle safety tips, there are so many positive reasons why you should allow your kids to ride bikes:
- Bike riding is a healthy form of exercise
- It’s good for the environment (alternative to driving)
- Riding is fun for the kids
Depending on where you live, your kids could ride their bikes to school.
Not only would this benefit your kids’ health, but it would also free up some of your time normally devoted to driving your kids to school.
Bicycle Safety Tips for Kids
However, as a parent, the safety of your kids is priority number one.
Kids with little experience riding bicycles should not venture out alone.
They have a significant vulnerability to the roads while they are riding.
Therefore, you should focus on ensuring that your kids put the necessary safety measures in place before going out on bike rides.
These are some bicycle safety tips you can teach your kids to ride safely:
1. Wearing a properly fitted helmet
One of the most common injuries that your kids are likely to experience while riding a bike is head injuries.
Some head injuries are minor while others can be life-threatening so they must wear a protective helmet.
Always encourage your kids to wear a properly fitted helmet every time they use their bikes so that they can protect themselves from injury.
You can find high-quality helmets that have been designed to meet the needs of your kids at your local bike shop.
Ask a store employee for assistance if you need help getting the right fit.
2. Riding on the pavement
The pavement is the safest place, beside your driveway, where kids can ride their bikes safely.
Although this will interfere with the people using the pavement, it is always advisable to encourage younger children to use the pavement.
When they first start out, younger children may fall or need to take frequent breaks.
Pedestrians can easily share the pavement with riders at this stage.
However, as your kids gain bike riding experience, begin to ride faster, and learn the rules of the road, they may no longer have to stick to riding on the pavement.
They may move to the bicycle lane, if available, or use the road.
At this stage, encourage your kids to ride in the same direction as the traffic. Nevertheless, they should stick to the right side as far as possible.
3. Stay safe; be seen in bright colours
While using bicycle lanes and roads, your kids should wear bright colors so that other road users can easily spot them.
This is especially important if they will be riding at night or very early in the morning.
They should make sure that they can easily be spotted while on the road so that motorists can take evasive maneuvers when they see them riding.
Cycling while in dark clothing is dangerous as motorists may not see them, which can lead to a road accident.
Wearing bright or reflective clothing can help reduce their chances of being hit by a car.
4. The last important bicycle safety tip: teach your kids how to follow road signs
Following road signs is one of the most effective strategies for remaining safe on the road.
There are many road users, some of them rushing to various destinations.
Drivers are all taught to obey road signs and will expect all road traffic to do the same.
Failure to observe traffic lights, intersections, lanes, and other road signs could be a recipe for disaster.
In addition, encourage your kids to be predictable in how they navigate the road. Demonstrating consistency will make it easier for motorists to share the road.
Last Updated on July 1, 2023 by Lucy Clarke
