[Editor’s Note: Now that our kids are well on their way to leaving their balance bikes behind and have started mountain biking themselves, we’ve been trying to teach them about bike safety. When Denise emailed us about doing a guest post we figured it was a great opportunity for us to learn something too!]
When allowing your child to ride their bikes, naturally you watch over them and make sure their safe. When children are riding their bikes, they also need the tools to keep themselves safe. Riding a bike is a wonderful experience, great exercise, and a great way to spend your free time; however, being safe when riding is critical to protect yourself and your children from potential falls, head injuries, and hazardous accidents.
Here are some tips to help your child to be bike safe and to remember to obey all the rules when riding their bike.
Helmets are important for children when riding bikes. In most states, children under 18 are required by law to wear a helmet; some states are 15-17, and others are all ages. Helmets are very important in a case of falling. Helmets help to protect your head and neck from injuries that could be fatal or cause serious brain and neck trauma.
When deciding on a helmet, make sure to pick an appropriately sized helmet. You want the helmet to fit your head, but not be too snug or too loose. It needs to be comfortable and fit well. A helmet can be the difference between a life-threatening injury.
Making sure your children’s reflectors work are important to all children no matter the time of day. Glasses help in the dawn, daytime, dusk, and nighttime riding for vehicles to see the riders clearly. Wearing a reflective sash is also recommended for children since they are smaller than an adult.
Reflectors help reduce the risk of accidents involving vehicles and allow vehicles to move over (if possible) for the riders. Always make sure the reflectors are working and aren’t broken.
Knee pads and elbow pads are good at preventing injuries when a child is prone to still falling off their bike. Padding helps to protect from scratches and cosmetic damage, as well as contributes to cushion the bones when falling on them. This can prevent future damage done to bones that can cause arthritis and joint pain as they age.
Padding is also great in giving kids more confidence in their riding. When they know that they can fall and it won’t hurt as bad, they are willing to continue trying to ride rather than give up. It’s a great confidence booster!
Proper Bike Size
Children are often riding bikes too big for them or too small. It’s important for your child to have a bike that fits them. Otherwise, riding could be dangerous and a hazard to others. Children should be able to sit
on the seat of the bike with their hands on the handlebars, and the balls of their feet should touch the ground. This is the perfect size for your child.
Those growth spurts make it difficult, but remember you can always adjust the bike seat and handlebar height while they continue to grow. Keep an eye on where they place their feet for times when the seat and handlebars should be heightened to allow for comfortable and safe riding.
Obey Traffic Laws
Make sure your children know to ride with traffic and to follow the stop signs and lights when riding with traffic. Make sure to teach your child the proper hand signals if your country uses them.
Teach children how to use crosswalks with their bikes properly. Make sure they get off their bike, press the button and walk their bike across when directed. This will prevent any accidents involving pedestrians who also make use of the crosswalk and teach your child to be a courteous bike rider.
Make sure your child never rides alone at night. Riding a bike alone, no matter the gear they have with them is especially dangerous. Night riding requires special skill, biking experience, and a lot of multitasking to make sure you and cars are a safe distance from one another.
Night riding can be tiresome for children, causing them to become drowsy. If your child must ride at night, make sure an adult is supervising them.
Respect the Road
Make sure your kids aren’t playing on the road on their bikes. This can be hazardous for approaching vehicles, prevent emergency vehicles from reaching their destination in a timely manner, and could put your child at risk of an accident.
Always make sure your child knows the appropriate places to ride a bike and their boundaries. Busy roadways can be very dangerous for children and can put them in danger of a fatal accident.
Make sure your kids know not to listen to music or play with their phone while riding. Distracted riding can lead to injuries, falls, and accidents. It’s important to pay attention to your surroundings and listen to anything that may be important, such as a parent calling for you, and the emergency vehicle coming closer, or a tornado warning.
You should also pay attention to young children who may run out in front of you, or a loose dog. These can cause you to lose control if suddenly taken off guard by not paying attention or being distracted.
Talk to Your Child
It’s a great time to sit your child down and explain to them the boundaries of riding their bike and the rules. Make sure they know how to put their helmet on and to wear any protective gear they may need. Bike safety is very important for children to learn, as it helps them as they get older and continue to ride their bike.
Make sure your children know why it’s important to follow the rules, wear a helmet, and ride along with traffic, rather than against it. In some instances, it’s good to set up punishments in case the rules are broken, and they push past their boundaries.
There are many cases where children are hurt due to lack of knowledge when riding or being distracted. Some kids wear helmets, while others don’t and it’s important to keep yourself protected from anything that could potentially happen to you. Make sure to keep your children safe by teaching them how to be safe when riding a bike.
About the Author
I’m Denise and I’m a mountain biker who enjoys cross-country biking all around the world. I worked as a trainer for 6 years before becoming a co-founder of a private biking lessons school to teach people how to properly train and ride bikes to prepare them for cross-country and any activities they want to indulge in. I’m also a co-founder of MountainBikeEZ.