BAY MILLS - School is back in session and many local children are using their bicycles for transportation. Parents can help their children ride in a safe manner, using these helpful tips from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:
- Protect your head by wearing a helmet that meets government standards.
- Wear sports sunglasses to stop dust and bugs from getting in your eyes.
- See and be seen by wearing bright fluorescent colors during the day.
- If riding at night, equip your bicycle with head and tail lights and wear reflective clothing.
- Go with the flow by riding with the traffic on the right side of the road.
- If there's a wide paved shoulder, use it.
- Learn and obey all traffic laws, signs, and signals.
- Use appropriate hand signals: point with your left arm out straight for a left turn and at a 90-degree angle for a right hand turn.
- Don't wear headphones.
- Stay alert and be aware of traffic around you.
- Make sure your bike is in good condition and safe to ride.
Parents should be aware that kids younger than 11-years-old are involved in most child biking fatalities. The most common causes are from riding into a street without stopping, swerving into traffic that is coming from behind, and riding against the traffic flow. Parents are advised to restrict children's riding to sidewalks and bike paths until they are 10 or older and clearly able to follow the rules of the road.
For more bike safety tips, visit the following websites: www.familydoctor.org and www.cpsc.gov.
