Bicycle Safety

Bicycle Safety

Biking is a huge part of childhood. Learning to ride a bike is a major developmental milestone and a very proud moment in a child’s life.  Living in Atlanta there are so many great parks, greenways and biking trails to get out and explore. But first, it’s important to know some important facts and tips to make sure you’re safe!

Use your head, wear a helmet

• Did you know?
• More children aged 5 to 14 are seen in emergency rooms for injuries related to biking than any other sport
• Each year about 100 children are killed and 254,000 are injured as a result of bicycle-related accidents
• Wearing a helmet is the single most effective safety device available to reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes, and can reduce the risk of severe brain injuries by 88%...(however only 45% of children 14 and under usually wear their helmets!)
• Not only is it safer to wear a helmet, but it’s actually the law.  In Georgia, all children under the age of 16 years of age must wear a helmet while riding a bike. (Although we encourage those 16+ to continue to wear helmets!)

Ride on the right side of the road, with traffic

• Always stay as far to the right as possible, and ride with traffic and not against traffic
• Riding against traffic can confuse drivers, and almost 25% of bicycle-car collisions results from bicyclists riding against traffic

 Use appropriate hand signals

• Hand signals are an important part of the rules of the road, and should be taught to all children before they begin riding on the street
• For a review of proper hand signals visit this website: https://www.safekids.org/other-resource/rules-ride

Be bright and use lights

• When riding at dusk, dawn or in the evening, make sure your bike has a light and reflectors as well
• Wear clothes that have retro-reflective materials to increase visibility to motorist
• It’s best to avoid riding during these hours and at night

Make sure you have the right fit- this applies to both bikes and helmets

• Avoid buying a bike for your child to “grow into”.  Oversized bikes can be dangerous, as children don’t have the skills and coordination to handle an oversized bike and could lose control.
• Kids should be able to sit on the seat, hands on the handlebars, and be able to place both feet on the ground
• Find the right helmet fit:
• The helmet should sit on top of the head at a level position, not rock forward/back/or side-to-side.
• Always keep the helmet buckled, but not too tightly
• Here’s a good video to learn how to properly fit a bike helmet for your kids: https://www.safekids.org/video/safety-seconds-bike-helmets

Biking should be fun.  By following these basic safety measures, you can keep your kids safe while riding!