Bicycle Safety: 6 Tips to Teaching our Kids the Rules of the Road

Riding a bicycle is a very important part of growing up. In many cases, it is the first form of freedom that parents give to their children as they grow. For older teens, bicycles provide easy and inexpensive transportation along with that sense of freedom.

However, riding a bicycle at any age comes with responsibility. There are rules to follow and actions to be taken to remain safe and act in a responsible matter. Every person that is going to ride a bike should know the following six tips.

1. Always Wear a Helmet

The law requires everyone who rides a bicycle to wear a helmet. It is the best protection in an accident. Head injuries are the leading injury in bicycle accidents.

2. Have Reflectors

Make sure that your bicycle has sufficient reflectors in the front and back of the bike. If you are caught out ridding in the dark or in the rain, you want to make sure that cars can see you.

3. Three Inch Limit

You should always make sure that there are at least three inches between your body and the middle bar of your bicycle. If there is not, the bike is too large for you to ride and may not be easy to manage.

4. Watch for Obstacles

Even something as seemingly harmless as a pile of leaves can cause you to lose control of your bike when driving though them. Always remain alert of your surrounds, watching for traffic and any potential injury causing obstacles as you ride your bike.

5. Ride on the Right Side of the Street

If you are going to ride in the street, you need to ride your bike the same way the cars are going. Never ride against traffic.

6. Cross Major Streets at the Crosswalk and on Foot

You do not want to dart out between cars when you are crossing a large street or highway. Use the crosswalk and dismount your bike and walk it across.

Cars, Bicycles, and Safety

It is very important for all people riding a bicycle to understand that cars are their biggest threat to safety. You must be aware of the cars around you at all times for your own protection. Paying attention and remaining alert at all times when riding a bike is vitally important, and can save their lives.

Some drivers can become easily distracted by their radio or phone; others may not be watching the side of the road, while even more may just be driving carelessly. Knowing where they are at all times will help you avoid an accident.

When involved in an accident involving a motorist, it is important for a person to contact a local personal injury attorney to discuss their case. When a motorist is the cause of an accident, a person might be able to get compensated for any injuries acquired from a bicycle accident. Compensation might also be obtained for other reasons as well. It is not always traffic that can be the cause of a bicycle accident.

In the following example, consulting an Atlanta personal injury attorney would be advised to see if premise negligence could be a reason for a case. A recent accident took place when a 12 year old boy was riding his bicycle with friends in Weston, which is located just outside of Atlanta. The boy, looking over his shoulder for oncoming traffic did not see a large pot-hole and protruding cement in front of him. The boy hit this debris and his bike went flipping in the air, throwing him to the side of the road.

Sadly, he was not wearing a helmet as required by law, and he died from his injuries. This is another example of why it is important to remain alert and look what’s ahead and around you at all times.

While this type of event is very rare, especially when you consider events that occur with a car and a bicycle, it shows the importance of following the law and remaining safe while you ride your bicycle. It is important for parents to teach their children from a young age the laws and rules of the road. It is also important to understand that when injuries occur due to negligent or careless motorists or unkept property maintenance, such as large pot holes in our roadways, a cyclist has the legal recourse to consult with an injury attorney.

As a mother to 4, Lisa Coleman understands the importance of teaching our youth the law and safety precautions when riding our bikes on the roadway. She also shares that there is legal recourse that a person can take when their child or any cyclist has been injured due to negligence on another’s behalf. She recently read online how Stokes & Kopitsky, P.A., an Atlanta personal injury firm, can consult and evaluate a case for a client that has been injured in a cyclist accident involving a negligent motorist, and handle all the legalities that ensue.

Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/48091087@N02/8427578298/