Bicycle Safety and Summer Fun
Summer is here and children are out in full force, either learning to ride their
bikes or enjoying their independence and freedom as they pedal around town.
More than 70 percent of children ages 5 to 14 ride bikes. This age group rides
about 50 percent more than the average bicyclist and accounts for approximately
one-third of all bicycle-related deaths and more than two-thirds of all bicycle
related injuries. St. Charles County statistics show that 1644 children in this
age group were treated in emergency rooms for cycling injuries between 1994-1997.
Although bicycles are fun, children can be seriously injured or killed if they fail
to follow basic bicycle safety rules.
The following list of prevention tips will
help you and your family make every bike ride safe.
- A bicycle helmet is a necessity and must be worn every time and everywhere
you ride.
- Wear a bicycle helmet correctly. It should sit on top of the head in a
level position, covering the top of the forehead. The helmet fits well if it
does not rock forward or back or from side to side. The chinstrap should fit snugly.
- Buy a helmet that meets or exceeds the bicycle safety standards of the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or the Snell Memorial Foundation
and or the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Any helmet
meeting these standards is labeled. Check the inside.
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- Replace a helmet that has been through a serious fall or accident.
- Learn the rules of the road and obey all traffic laws. Ride on the right
side of the road with traffic. Use appropriate hand signals. Respect traffic
signals. Stop and look both ways before entering a street.
- Never ride at night. Always put your bike away when the sun goes down.
- Choose the right size bicycle for your child.
- Sitting on the seat with hands on the handlebar, your child must be able
to place the balls of both feet on the ground.
- Straddling the centerbar, your child should be able to keep both feet flat
on the ground with a one-inch clearance between the crotch and the bar.
- - When buying a bike with hand brakes for an older child, make sure that the child can grasp
the brakes and apply enough pressure to stop the bike.
Basic safety measures like these can keep bicycle riding enjoyable and safe for your child.
Have an enjoyable and a safe, healthy summer!
For further information call the Divison of Public health at 636-949-7400
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