Children's Basic Guide to Bicycle Safety

Bicycle riding is a fun and healthy activity, especially for children. It is also a great way to help them develop their independence. However, children must understand that their bike is used for transportation and not for playtime.

Most children love to ride their bike a lot, especially during summer months. As a parent, you need to teach your child the basic bicycle safety rules to keep them safe while on the road. Doing so will also help them avoid injuries. Here are a few safety tips so that your child can continue to have fun riding his bike and still be safe.

Wear A Helmet
The best protection for your child when he is riding is a helmet. This is a very effective safety device that lowers the risk of head injury and sudden death from bicycle crashes. But riding a helmet is not enough. Your child should also wear a helmet that fits.

• The helmet should meet the standards set by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Let your child pick his own helmet so that he will more likely wear it every time he rides.
• Make sure that your child knows how to properly put it on. As a tip, the helmet should comfortably sit on top of the head in a level position. It should not move around. Make sure that the straps are buckled, but it should not be buckled too tightly.
• When putting on the helmet, your child should look up. He must be able to see the bottom rim of the helmet. In addition, the rid must be at two finger-widths above his eyebrows at most.
• Let your child open his mouth wide after putting on the helmet. Ask him if the helmet hugs his head. If not, you should tighten the straps. The buckle should be flat against his skin.

Be Noticeable
Whether your child is riding during daytime, at dawn, or at night, he should be noticeable to other drivers and pedestrians. As a tip, make him wear neon or other bright colors when riding. He should also wear something that reflects light, such as a marking or a reflective tape. You can also consider installing flashing lights on his bike. You should remind your little one that just because he saw the driver of another vehicle doesn't always meant that the other driver saw him too.

Be Wary Of Road Hazards
Teach your young one to watch out for any hazards, such as broken glass, leaves, dogs, puddles, and potholes while riding. These hazards can lead to a serious bicycle crash. Aside from the road hazards, he should also follow traffic signs and watch the road and incoming traffic if he needs to cross the street.

This post is written by a blogger who wants to raise awareness regarding bicycle safety. She is aware of the horrible accidents that children can get into while they are riding their bicycle. She suggests to the family of the victims to seek a local bicycle accident lawyer or a Spokane injury lawyer to help them with their injury claims.

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