5 Bicycle Safety Tips You Can Teach Your Kids Today

While some older kids may be bemoaning that their summer is almost half over and back to school is just around the corner, the littlest ones are still out enjoying a ride on their bike. While we never want to think about a New Haven bicycle accident involving a young child, it is important to talk about these things so we can make sure that as the adults we’re giving our kids the necessary tools they need to stay safe when they are riding their bikes. Whether they are riding on the busy streets of the Elm City or along the Farmington Canal Rail Trail, we want to make sure they know every last safety tip so they can enjoy their ride without the risk of getting injured.

One of the challenges with kids is that they often get so caught up in the fun they are having that they don’t stop and realize that riding a bike, while fun, can also be quite dangerous if they aren’t following the rules. It is important as adults to make sure little ones are supervised while they are riding and when they get old enough to ride on their own that we are continually reinforcing the safety tips that we hopefully taught them when they were younger.

If your child is at the age that you still need to be supervising them while they are riding their bike you may want to ride along with them and model these safety tips. When a young child sees an adult doing the things that they are being told to do, it is much more effective than just being told to do it. So, as much as these tips are for younger riders who are still learning how to ride a two-wheel vehicle safely, these are also for you as their parent or guardian so they can see a responsible adult following safety measures that can keep everyone safe when they are riding.

There are three ways you can share these safety tips with young riders. First, you can model these behaviors. This is the most powerful thing you can do to make sure that kids see adults acting the way they are expected to. Second, you can tell them regularly about each safety tip and why it is so important. This can be effective, especially with younger children, but it can become a little like background noise to older kids, so you need to be careful. Finally, you can point to others (friends, celebrities, etc.) that are following the safety tips to make sure that kids are getting the clue that it’s not just the annoying adults in their lives, but it’s also the people that they admire and look up to that are following these safety tips.

The safety tips you want your kids to know and always follow are as follows;

1.) Wear a helmet. It is important to wear a helmet, but it is equally important that you’re wearing a helmet that actually fits your head. If your helmet is loose or not fitting properly, it may not protect you as well as if it is snug and fitting just right on your head. Make sure you help young children with fitting their helmet properly.

2.) Teach them the rules of the road. Children will not be driving a car for quite some time, but it is important that you enforce the rules that cars are required to follow so they become familiar with these rules as they ride their bike. Things like stopping at stop signs and red lights can be so important to the safety of your child on a bicycle.

3.) Be aware of their surroundings. This is a critical component to safety of any kind when interacting with others on the road. Teach kids to make eye contact with drivers and use hand signals when turning or stopping. These can be life saving measures when a kid is riding their bike.

4.) Pick out a bright outfit. Clothes can be a source of tension between parents and kids, but in this case they could be the difference between a safe bike ride and a not-so-safe bike ride. Encourage your kids to wear bright clothing and if you can convince them to, they should wear reflective clothing.

5.) Place an importance on doing a safety check of their bike regularly. In fact, every time they hop on their bike they should get into the habit of checking the tires, the brakes, the reflectors and the chain to make sure they are all in good working order.

It may be hard to get a child to follow these rules, but if you impress upon them the importance of following these safety tips and how it can prevent them from getting into a New Haven bicycle accident if they do follow the rules, you may be able to impact their safety in a positive way. Don’t forget that kids will sometimes like to follow the pack so if you can show them someone that they admire or want to emulate who is following these rules your point will be much stronger.

We hope that the rest of your Summer is filled with safe bike riding and lots of fun!