Bicycle Safety
Cycling • Bike Safety Tips
• Fun with Friends
• Bike Skill Games
Cycling
Being a good cyclist is a skill that you need to learn.
It's best to delay going out on roads until you have had lots of
practice. When you feel ready, it's a good idea to go with an adult
for the first time.
Bike Safety Tips
1. Demonstrate proper signaling:
Left turn
Right turn
Stop
2. Yield the right-of-way to pedestrians when
crossing a side walk and to cars when entering the street. Remember
that many times they are not looking for you, and may not see you.
3. Drive at a speed that is safe for the road.
Remember that brakes will not work as well on loose gravel, or wet
pavement, where it is easier to skid out of control.
4. Keep both hands on the handlebars.
5. Use a carrier or basket for packages instead of trying to
balance them on the bike itself.
6. Never "hitch on" to a moving vehicle. The driver can't
see you and you could easily lose control.
7. Make sure you have reflectors. You may want to
consider putting a bright-colored flag on the rear of your bike.
8. If you must ride at night, think bright. Wear
bright, reflective clothing and use a headlight. Fix a front white
light and a red rear reflector that can be seen from 300 feet away.
9. Lock up. Many bikes are stolen each year. Make
sure yours isn't one of them by using an appropriate lock!
10. Wear a helmet every time you ride your bike.
11. Use a bike that fits for better control and better balance.
Check the fit of your bicycles. Ask:
Can you get on and off your bike easily?
Do your feet reach the pedals with your knees slightly bent?
Can you easily reach the handlebars for good
steering control and use of hand brakes, bell or horn?
Can you rest one foot on the ground while seated on your bike?
Fun with Friends
Play the What If...Game. Invite friends to choose a
correct safe ending and to add their own "what if's." Ask:
What if...
1. You're riding your bike and you hear emergency vehicle sirens?
2. Your friend wants to hitch a ride on your handlebars instead of
jogging alongside you to the candy store?
3. You are riding fast on your bike, rushing to get home when
you notice a patch of gravel on the road ahead.
4. Your little sister begs to try riding your new 10-speed, sized to fit you.
Bike Skill Games
Plan a session of bicycle games. Ask your parents to help. Obey bike rules.
A Figure 8 Test. Plan out a double line course shaped like an "8." Drive around it without touching the edges.
B. Rock Dodge: Lay out some sponges in a
straight line, each about two yards apart. Ride up to the sponge,
then turn your front wheel a little in one direction until you are
past the object, then back, while keeping a straight line. Keep
going until you weave past all the "rocks."
C. Panic Stop: Set up a starting point for
braking. Head toward it, then brake hard, shifting your weight to
the rear of the bike. Mark with chalk the point where the bicycle
stopped. You should be able to stop at the shortest distance
possible without skidding your tires. If you skid, release the front
brake a little.
D. Obstacle Course: Place eight cans, each
eight feet apart, forming a line. After the last can, mark off 16
feet and place a five-foot chute, 12 inches wide. Begin on each side
of the first can and drive at a steady speed through the course,
weaving inside and out around the cans while keeping your body
straight on the bike. Without touching the cans or the sides of the
chute, you must wind up in the chute within 12 inches of the stop
line. Younger children who do not ride bikes may be "official
helpers" and watch for infringement of rules (i.e. knocking
over cans, etc.)
Sources:
Cloverbuds: A 4-H Discovery Program for Six to Eight
Year Olds. Reprinted with permission from the Minnesota Extension
Service, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108.
Sanders, P. (1989). On the road. New York:
Gloucester Press.
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