Learning to ride a bike is a matter of excitement for every little kid. So is for the parents to teach them biking. But, before teaching them how to paddling and balancing, the first and prior most thing to do is to teach them about bike safety.
From traffic rules to controlling the bicycle, your kid needs to know every safety concern and abide by that when riding. Here is a whole list of bike safeties you might wanna teach your precious child. So let’s begin.
Which Bike Is Perfect for Your Kid?
A common misconception among the parents we see is that they think it is a good idea to buy a bigger cycle for their kids as they will grow faster. This is a big wrong decision to make.
A kid needs a perfect size bicycle to ride it safely. Especially for learning the balance, it is never gonna work with a big size cycle.
The maximum you can do is to buy an 18 inch size bike instead of buying a 16inches or 20 inches when your toddler will be between the age of 5 and 6. Because 5 year olds tend to grow much faster but still they need a suitable size bike.
10 Bike Safety Your Kids Need to Know About
1. Always Wear a Perfect Fit Bike Helmet While Riding
About 75% bicycle related accidents happen because of not wearing a helmet . It doesn’t matter whether your youngster is just practicing, riding around nearby or racing with friends. Helmets are a must. Period!
Older toddlers and teens often find it uncool, but you need to make sure that they don’t touch the bike without wearing a CPSC certified helmet. Make sure it comes in an appropriate size and fits perfectly. It will protect his face and head from injuries in case of accidents.
2. Use Training Wheels as Long as Needed
Although recent studies suggest that training wheels don’t help teach balancing a bike. Yes, it takes a little longer to balance with the training wheels. But it offers safety.
We still think, taking a little longer is worth it if it saves your child from getting all those bruises and cuts. So, choose the bike that comes with training wheels for your newbie little kid. And keep using the training wheels as long as needed.
3. Avoid Riding in the Evening or Later
It’s wise to set a routine for your child to go out for riding bikes. And try to keep it anytime in the daylight. After it gets dark outside, it is too risky for children to ride bikes on the road.
But if your child is quite a pro at cycling and needs to go out after it gets dark, make sure they use reflectors and lights.
4. Memorise Basic Traffic Rules
Before allowing your child to ride on the roads, teach all the basic traffic rules and the rules of the road. Depending on the traffic law in your state or country, teach your kids to always ride in the direction of traffic.
Ask them to obey the street signs, crossing signals and traffic lights. Tell them, while crossing a busy intersection, a biker should always stop, look both sides and back before moving.
5. Watch Out for Parked Cars
While passing by a parked car, tell your little biker to keep a minimum distance while turning the curve. Otherwise they might crash when the car pulls off or suddenly starts over, or the driver might want to open the door and things like that. So tell you kids to mind that and be careful.
6. Learn and Use Hand Signals
For bikers it is exceptionally important to learn and use hand signals. There are three main hand signals including the left turn, right turn and stopping signals.
For making the left turn signal, extend the left hand straight out. Right turn signal is when you bend your left arm up making a ninety degree angle at the elbow, or you can extend your right hand straight out. Finally to make the stop signal, bend your left arm down creating a ninety degree at the elbow.
7. Avoid Any Loose, Trailing Clothes While Riding
Buy specific clothes for your kids that will allow them to cycle comfortably. Try to select well-fitted dresses like narrow fit pants and tops or t-shirts. Any trailing parts of the cloths like loose pant legs, shoelaces or shoulder bag straps, etc. can get caught in the bike chain and lead to fatal accidents.
8. Check Every Time Before Leaving the House
Do a general checkup by yourself or teach your children how to check whether everything is functioning correctly. Check the gears, the air in the tires, check horn and etc. every time before they leave home.
It is crucially important to ensure a safe ride on the road. So don’t take it lightly.
9. Wear Bright Colors or Use Reflector to Be Seen Easily
As already mentioned, kids shouldn’t ride when it is dark. Because they might not be visible and it might cause unpleasant incidents. However, even in broad daylight sometimes little kids on a bicycle often go unseen by the other vehicle drivers.
So, make sure they put on bright and visible color outfits with reflectors that are easily seen from a distance. There are some bright color, great design bikes for the 4 years toddlers you can choose from. A vibrant color bike will make your little one more visible.
10. No Headphones to Use While Riding
Using headphones while riding a bike can be a real sensation. But parents, never ever even let your child experience it.
Music can distract your child and lead them to lose their balance and control. They might not hear the horn of vehicles behind them too. It is really dangerous.
Final Words
Cycling is a basic skill every little kid should master. But for parents, it is the foremost responsibility to ensure and teach our children about all the safety concerns while riding a bicycle.
We have listed the top 10 bike safety that every kid should know about. Hope you will find it helpful.
