Get on Your Bikes and Ride – Safely
Bicycle safety is important, because riding a bike is a lot of fun. Plus it’s a great workout that puts less strain on your joints than running. But just like you have to obey the rules while driving a car, there are rules to follow when riding a bike.
How To Avoid Injuries
Every time you ride, wear a helmet to protect your head and face. These important statistics serve as a good reminder of why helmets are important:
- Every year about 176,000 children end up in the emergency room because of bike accident injuries
- In the event of a crash, wearing a bicycle helmet reduces the risk of serious head injury by as much as 85 percent and the risk for brain injury by as much as 88 percent
- If every rider wore bicycle helmet, it would prevent one death per day and one injury every four minutes
Your helmet should:
- Be comfortable and touch your head all the way around
- Stay in place — even after violent shakes or hard blows
- Sit as low on your head as possible – without obstructing vision – to maximize side coverage
- Be held level on the head with the strap comfortably snug and secure
How To Make Sure Your Bike Is Safe
Before riding your bike, make sure it’s safe and working properly with these tips:
- Test the brakes
- Make sure the handlebars are straight
- Check the air pressure in tires
- If you ride with a child, use a special seat that fits behind the main seat.
- If you ride at night, wipe dirt and mud off the reflectors and lights to make sure you’re visible to drivers in the dark.
How To Follow The Rules Of The Road
Learn and obey all traffic laws such as:
- Ride on the right side of the road
- Use proper hand signals to let others know when you are turning
- Look both ways before crossing the street with your bike
- Walk – don’t ride – your bike across the street
- Never ride in between parked or moving cars
- When riding through a curve, ride in single file, slow down and stay to the side of the road
- Ride single file on the street with friends
- Use bike lanes or designated bike routes wherever you can
- Never ride out from a driveway or hillside
- If you hit your head when you fall, you should see a doctor, even if the injury seems minor