5 Bike Safety Tips for Kids At Kaiser Permanente, we’re dedicated to improving the total health of the communities we serve. That’s why we’ve partnered with the YMCA and Cascade Bicycle Club to encourage bicyclists to wear a helmet whenever they get on their bikes. On April 29 for YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, we provided helmet fitting guidance, answered bike safety questions and gave away free bike helmets at 16 Puget Sound locations. We’ll also join Spokane’s Healthy Kids Day events on June 2. If you’re a member, let us know if you’re coming to a Healthy Kids Day event, and say “hi” while you’re there.
Help Your Kids Cycle Safe
1. Choose the right bike. Children should be able to sit on the bicycle seat, hands on the handlebars, and have the balls of their feet touch the ground. Don’t select a bike for your child to “grow into.” Foot-operated brakes, rather than hand brakes, are safest for younger children.
2. Always wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet. The helmet should sit on top of the head in a level position and not rock forward, backward, or side to side. The helmet straps should form a V under the ears, and should be snug but comfortable. Watch the one minute video after this list to see how it’s done.
3. Check the bike’s mechanics often. The helmet should sit on top of the head in a level position and not rock forward, backward, or side to side. The helmet straps should form a V under the ears, and should be snug but comfortable. Watch the one minute video after this list to see how it’s done.
4. Follow the rules of the road. Ride on the right side of roads, in the same direction as other vehicles. (Almost one fourth of bicycle-car collisions result from bicyclists riding against traffic.) Obey all traffic signs, signals, and lane markings. Use hand signals when turning.
5. Make eye contact with drivers Be sure that they’re paying attention before crossing in front of them or pulling into their lane. Just because you can see a driver doesn’t mean they can see you.
So help your kids cycle safety Kids’ bike fatalities are down 92 percent since 1975. Yet despite this encouraging trend, more children aged 5–14 are seen in emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries than from any other sport. “Properly fitted bicycle helmets are the single most important safety device for cyclists of all ages and are estimated to reduce head injury risk by as much as 85 percent,” says John Dunn, MD, a Kaiser Permanente Washington pediatrician. “Make it a rule that no one in your family cycles without a helmet, no matter how short the ride.”
“Every lesson, event, or class in Cascade Bicycle Club’s education programming begins with ensuring that helmets are properly fit,” said Shannon Koller, Cascade Bicycle Club’s Senior Director of Education. “We’re grateful to Kaiser Permanente for providing wide access to bike helmets at the upcoming YMCA Healthy Kids Days.”
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