Injury Prevention

Bikes

In 2001, 134 children ages 14 and under died in bicycle-related crashes. In 2002, nearly 288,900 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries, according to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign. The good news is there are numerous precautions you and your children can take to avoid potential bicycling injuries. Whether you are riding with your children or they are riding unsupervised with their friends, make sure everyone learns, understands and abides by the following Bicycle Safety tips and Rules of the Road guidelines.

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Safety Tips

Always wear a helmet – no matter what your age. Be sure your helmet fits correctly and is approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the SNELL Memorial Foundation or the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM). To ensure your helmet fits properly, helmet straps should be tight enough to allow only one finger to fit between your chin and the strap. Make sure the V-shaped straps surround your ears and the helmet covers your forehead. Helmets should not move when you shake your head.
Replace helmets that have been involved in an accident. Even if it’s not cracked or visibly damaged in any way, consider it defective and replace it.
Avoid riding at night. If you must ride at night, use a headlight, taillight, reflectors on your pedals and wear bright, reflective clothing.
Check your bicycle regularly to ensure it’s functioning properly.
Obey the Rules of the Road:
- Obey all traffic laws, including stop signs, yield signs and traffic lights.
- Always ride on the right side of the road.
- Always ride in the same direction as traffic.
- Use proper hand signals to alert cars, cyclists and roller skaters that you intend to make a turn.
- When riding through a curve, ride in single-file, decrease your speed and stay to the side of the road.
- When approaching an intersection, obey traffic signals and walk your bike across the intersection.
- Never ride in-between cars, whether they are moving or parked.
- Never ride out from a driveway or hillside.