Children and Bicycle Safety
with
Pam Smith
Your little one has a new bike and is ready to roll - and though there will be bumps in the road, a few safety tips will keep him cruising along. See three important bicycle safety rules to live.
Transcript: Children and Bicycle Safety
Hi, I'm Pam Smith with About.com Parenting and today I am going to give a few bicycle safety tips to teach your child.Bike Safety and Helmets
Let's start from the top with the helmet. Allow your child to develop a habit of wearing a helmet. Start him or her out with a helmet on the first bike riding experience so that he will grow into the idea that fun riding is only possible with this safety feature.Sizing is the most important part of helmet selection. Make sure the helmet fits the shape of the head, and feels snug but not tight. It should not move from side-to-side or front-to-back.
Safe Bike Sizes
Next, bike size is an important and often misunderstood part of a bike purchase. The child should be able to sit on the seat with hands on the handle bars and place the balls of both feet on the ground. Foot brakes are suggested for the first bike because a child's muscles are not developed enough in the hands - their hand muscles and coordination are not mature enough to control the hand brakes.Safe Bike Riding Zones
And last - a safe place to ride. Set limits on where they should ride based on the age of the child and maturity.There should always be adult supervision and riding should happen off the streets. Tell your child to be alert at all times and not to just follow the person in front of them. And if they will be riding with several kids in a line, safety is each riders own responsibility. Don't just follow blindly.
So to re-cap. Get your child in the habit of using a helmet. Make sure you size the bicycle to fit your child, and define safe places for your child to enjoy their bicycle.
Thanks for watching. For more information, visit us on the Web at parenting.about.com.