Bike Safety
Family Care Notes - July 2005
Riding a bike is a lot of fun! But just like you have to obey the rules while driving a car, there are rules one needs to follow when riding a bike.
Bicycling Is Good for You!
Riding a bike is a great workout. It puts less strain on your joints than jogging but you are still able to get in shape, lose weight and reduce the risk of health problems.
How to Avoid Injuries
The best way to protect your head and face is by wearing a helmet every time you ride a bike. Check out these important statistics on bike safety.
- 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% and the risk for brain injury by as much as 88%.
- 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 the head all the way around.
- Stay in place - even after violent shakes or hard blows.
- Be as low on the head as possible to maximize side coverage.
- Be held level on the head with the strap comfortably snug.
Make Sure Your Bike Is Safe!
Before riding your bike, you should make sure it is safe and working properly. Check the following:
- Test the breaks.
- Make sure the handlebars are straight and that there is enough air in the tires.
- If you ride with a child on your bike, use a special seat that fits behind the main seat.
- Reflectors and lights make you more visible to care drivers in the dark.
Be Sure to Follow the Rules of the Road!
Make sure you know and obey all traffic laws.
- Always ride on the right side of the road.
- Use proper hand signals to let other know that 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.
