Bicycle
Safety - A child's first vehicle. So it has two wheels
instead of four. Introducing kids to the fun and freedom of riding
a bike should go hand in hand with teaching them about bicycles, how
to ride them, and how to maintain them.
Bike education
involves a lot more than safety. The first thing to remember about
bike education is that should always promote bicycling. Focusing solely
on the dangers of the road tends to discourage people from cycling.
But the best kinds of bike education highlight the benefits of cycling-
such as sports, exercise, adventure, pleasure, healthy transportation-
while arming new cyclists with the knowledge and tools they need to
safely share the road.
Bicycles are fun
to ride - but they're also legally considered vehicles, and are therefore
subject to most of the same traffic rules and regulations as motor
vehicles- such as obeying traffic lights and right of way rules. It
is the responsibility of every cyclist to adhere to these laws as
well as other safety guidelines. The minute a bicycle enters a pathway,
a sidewalk, a park, a street or road, it is not a toy; it is a vehicle.
Since kids learn
differently depending on their level of maturity, we have divided
them into four age categories. Each age represents an important rite
of passage in learning to cycle effectively- from being a passenger
and first encountering the bicycle as a vehicle, to learning to ride
on sidewalks and close to home, to riding on streets, to riding more
independently. For each age group we've targeted the most salient
issues and the most important skills they need to know.
