A bike safety post for kids
Summertime is in full swing, and your kids are probably spending hours riding their bikes outside. Does this make you nervous?
We totally understand if it does. You don’t want your kids to get hit by a car!
To calm your nerves, we’ve compiled a list of common bike laws and safety tips in an easy-to-read and share format. You don’t have to do anything other than show this post to your kids!
Common Bike Laws
- Yield to others on the road. Just like you wouldn’t want a car to cut in front of you or take up the space you need to ride, cars won’t like it if you do that to them.
- Drivers don’t expect other vehicles (that’s you!) to get in their way, so they won’t be ready for you to do that. They could hit you.
- Stick to the right side of the road — that’s where all vehicles drive.
- If you have to cross a street, check for stop signs. If there’s a stop sign on the road you’re currently on, you have to wait until all the cars go by on the street you want to cross.
- If you don’t have a stop sign, then it’s your turn to go. Always look left and right, though, because cars might not stop for you.
- Obey all street signs and signals.
Safety Tips
- When you turn, use hand signals to let the cars around you know where you’re going.
- Left turn: stick your left arm straight out
- Right turn: bend your left arm up at the elbow
- Stopping: bend your left arm down at the elbow
- Keep both hands on your handlebars. If you need to carry something, put it in a backpack or bike basket.
- One person on the bike at a time!
- Don’t wear headphones. You won’t be able to hear traffic behind you.
- Pay attention to driveways, parking spaces, and parking lots.
- Always assume that drivers can’t see you.
Feel better, mom?
We’d like to thank these websites for providing the information used in this post:
https://www.saintlukeskc.org/health-library/teaching-children-bicycle-safety
Watch this video in conjunction with this post to give your kids a visual on bike safety: