Bike Safety for Parents

Bikes are an important part of every kid's childhood. All parents should encourage their kids to ride bicycles because it provides physical activity and teaches them a lot about freedom, physical abilities, socializing, traffic rules, risk assessment, and life.

People who miss out on this experience during their childhood tend to regret it in their adult years. However, bike safety is something you should never compromise on, and you must teach them everything about it from a young age.

Hence, we have compiled some safety measures in our bike safety for parents to help them learn more about it and teach their kids.

Bike Safety for Parents

Here are some basic safety rules and measures that you must understand and teach your kids as well.

• Helmets Safety

According to Australian standard AS/NZS 2063, wearing helmets while bicycling on roads and helmet safety is mandatory.

Whether riding in the driveway, a park, parking lot, or main road, helmets should be essential in your household. Make it a habit and teach your kids not to ride without one, no matter how short the trip is. Head injury is very common in bike accidents, and you want to avoid it at all times.

Moreover, kids' helmets should fit properly, according to their head size. Helmet sellers can help with sizes. Opt for ventilated, bright coloured or fluorescent helmets that are visible in the dark.

Additionally, helmets lose their shock-absorbing abilities if they take a serious hit, so replace them for your kids if they hit a hard surface.

• Road Safety

Teach your kids about road safety and its importance. The best method is to teach by example, especially on the roads and even while driving. Obey road rules, traffic lights, stop signs, and always look both ways before crossing intersections or leaving an alleyway or driveway.

Teach them to ride on the same side as the traffic and never in the opposite direction. Teach them to look out for turning cars, parked cars (doors open quickly), and cars leaving driveways. Kids should avoid riding on main roads after dark.

If they have to cross a busy intersection, teach them to use the crosswalk and walk their bikes across. If they are riding together with friends, they must always ride single file on roads. Teach them to call out pedestrians and other cyclists when they are approaching from behind.

Ridesharing is not an option. Kids can easily lose balance, especially if someone is sitting on their handlebar. Earphones and headphones are also prohibited while riding because the sense of hearing is key while riding on roads.

• Clothing Safety

It is also important that your kids do not wear pants with long, loose, or flared legs while riding to prevent them from getting tangled in the chains. It is also better to wear bright, lightweight clothes for visibility and good ventilation. Caps are not to be worn under helmets, and loose or stiff shoes are also a bad idea. Never ride barefoot or wear flip-flops either.

Conclusion

These are just some basic bike safety rules that you must implement, and there are plenty more like signalling and your local rules, which we can discuss another time. There is also the matter of safe and reliable bikes.

Your kids should not ride extremely old or worn-out bikes because they can easily break down and cause accidents. If your kid's bike is too old or worn out, we highly recommend kids bikes from Vuly, as they are safe, incredibly reliable, and quite affordable.

Implement the mentioned safety rules, and you and your kids should be just fine. Just remember to teach them that safety rules keep everyone safe, not just your family.