What Every Kid Needs to Know about Bicycle Safety!

What Every Kid Needs to Know about Bike Safety - 3 things to teach every child who rides a bicycle from https://smartkids101.com


Importance of Bicycle Safety

Summer brings such great opportunities for outdoor play. Throwing water balloons and running through the sprinkler. Riding bikes to the neighborhood pool, the local playground, or to a friend’s house. Listening intently for the ice cream truck to make its way to your street.

It’s just a magical time in every kid’s childhood, so how can you help it stay that way?

We’ve already talked about various yard manners that are unique to spring and summer as well as general summer safety rules, but this one is so important it deserves its own dedicated post. That’s right — it’s bicycle safety! Woohoo!


1. Helmets

My biggest and best tip for bicycle safety is really quite simple: wear a helmet.

It is estimated that 75% of bicycle-related fatalities among children could be prevented with the use of a helmet.

Rule 1: Wear a Helmet! Bike Safety tips at the link

We also know that helmet usage declines with age and is less common among males. Did you catch that? Teenage boys — the ones with proven tendencies to do stupid, risky things due to their brain development — are the same ones who choose not to wear helmets.

So talk to your kids about helmet expectations and let them pick a cool helmet they’ll really want to wear. There are plenty of awesome helmet options on the market now so it should be easier to find one for even your most reluctant helmet-wearer.

Many states have helmet laws now, and studies suggest that these laws have reduced fatalities by about 15%!

Even if your state doesn’t have helmet laws, the great news is that it looks like people are starting to see the benefit of kids wearing helmets.

The latest information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports a sharp decline in fatal accidents involving children and bicycles. So keep up the awesome bicycle safety and continue protecting those smart brains!

(And perhaps it goes without saying, but this helmet thing does wonders for all wheeled activities — that’s scooters, skateboards, skates, and 4-wheelers, too! It’s no wonder it tops most people’s list of safety rules!)


2. Signaling

Just like we prepare our 16-year-olds for the road by teaching them the safety rules of the road (to keep our kids safe and for the safety of other drivers), for proper bicycle safety we need to teach our young bicycle riders how to ride safely — especially near cars!

The vast majority of bicycle accidents involving children have to do with erratic behavior of the cyclist, for example darting into the street without looking or turning without signaling.

Since bikes don’t have mandatory blinkers like cars do (wouldn’t that be fun?), cyclists with safety rules in mind have to rely on three left-hand signals to get the message across.

Pin this for future reference!

3 Bike Hand Signals (more bike safety tips to teach your kids at the link) from https://smartkids101.com

When turning left, the arm is straight out. When turning right, the arm is bent upward, elbow at a 90 degree angle. When planning to stop, bend your elbow at a 90 degree angle again, this time with the hand pointing down.

Using these three signals can increase your safety when riding with cars and other cyclists.

And please teach your kids to shout clearly, “Passing on your left!” or simply, “On your left!” before trying to go around pedestrians or other bikers. This can really keep your kids safe and help prevent those unexpected collisions.


3. Be Visible

Here’s something to chew on: just because you can see another driver doesn’t mean he can see you. To make your kid a Safe Kid, teach your children to avoid riding at dusk or night time, where drivers’ visibility is naturally impaired.

Wear bright clothing and/or reflective tape to increase your visibility, and always be aware of cars when you ride.

Be visible when riding your bike. There's more tips at the link, too!

In my research for this article, I came across a bunch of great resources on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website for teaching kids about bike safety. They’ve really done some great work to make it easy to keep your kids safe. Check it out:

  • free printable PDFs, including coloring pages and activities (scroll down to the “For Kids (materials and activities)” section)
  • a safety pledge for you and your kids to sign
  • A free, online “Bicycle Safety Kit” is available in English and Spanish, complete with everything your child needs to know (specific to different age ranges) and suggested activities to teach them these skills.

These safety rules also apply during the school year, as more students bike to school each day. So keep your kids safe and teach them these must-know bicycle safety rules!


READ NEXT: Don’t Pick the Flowers! And Other Yard Manners for Kids

About Aubrey Hunt
Before hopping on the crazy ride we call motherhood, I studied engineering and taught math and science to middle and high school students. Now, perhaps like you, I fill my days singing The Itsy Bitsy Spider and praying my preschooler will eat a vegetable — any vegetable!

6 thoughts on “What Every Kid Needs to Know about Bicycle Safety!”

  1. Ana Lynn says:

    My son had a bicycle exam this year in school and he passed all the rules. They even gave them their own “driver’s license” so he is super proud of himself now!

    1. Aubrey Hunt says:

      Woah! That’s really cool. I had no idea such things existed! I bet you have more peace of mind about his safety now, too. Bonus!

  2. Julie V. says:

    Thanks for the reminders.
    Kids should also be taught walking safety too–for example, if you’re walking on a street with no sidewalk, which side of the street should you walk on?
    (The left, against the flow of traffic so you can see the cars closest to you approach).

    1. Aubrey Hunt says:

      Yes! That’s a great idea, maybe for a future post?? Kids (hey, even adults) get confused on biking with the flow of traffic and walking/running against it. But it’s a biggie for safety reasons. Great thought. Thanks for sharing!

  3. Carrie says:

    This is a great post! I am a big believer in helmets – I always love it when I see people encouraging their use!

    Pinning. Thanks for linking up at Wordy Wednesday!

    1. Aubrey Hunt says:

      Thanks for pinning it! Spread the word! Helmets are cool. And keep you alive. (Minor detail there.) 🙂

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