How To Teach Bike Safety To Your Children Who Ride Their Bikes To School

When children learn to ride a bike, they get their first taste of independence. You may find that at some point your children may want to ride their bike to school, and it may be the best choice for transportation to and from school in your neighborhood.

Riding a bike gives your child more outdoor time and more physical activity. Before your child starts riding a bike to school, there are some steps you need to take to make sure your child knows the basics of bike safety.

Find the safest route to school and practice riding the route with your child. Look for streets that have a low amount of traffic and where vehicles are traveling at low speeds. Make sure your child has the endurance to handle the ride. Look out for any obstacles that your child may run into, such as barking dogs or road curbs.

Your child should wear brightly colored clothes and reflective gear. Your child should also tie their shoelaces carefully and tuck in their pant legs. Make sure your child always confirms with you what days they are riding to school.

Go over basic rules of the road with your child. Some guidelines that they need to know include:

It’s important for anyone who rides a bike on the road to be extremely careful to try to avoid injury. Continue to remind your child that they share the road with drivers and that they should be careful to always stay alert and follow all the rules of the road. When they come to a stop, they should look both ways before pedaling again. Your child should also make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them to be sure the driver has seen them.

Check whether there is a helmet law in your area. Even if it isn’t the law, it’s a good idea for your child to wear a helmet that fits properly, because helmets have been proven to be effective at preventing injury and death.