Safe Routes to School: A Message for Parents About Bicyle and Pedestrian Safety

Practicing safe bike driving is a great way for your family to exercise and have fun together. Please set a good example by following all motor vehicle laws (which apply to bikes just as they do with cars - see Rules for Motorists & Bicyclists*) and wearing your helmet properly every time you ride. Helmets are required for bicyclists under 16 and are just common sense for everyone else. There is much more to riding a bicycle than learning to balance.

To help your family become safe bike drivers, find an empty street or parking lot to practice these basic skills:

• Riding in a straight line
• Stopping quickly with out skidding or falling
• Scanning ahead for obstacles
• Avoiding hazards (use a soft sponge to represent loose gravel, broken glass, or a pot hole)
• Scanning behind by looking back over your shoulder
• Riding with one hand and signaling with the other
• Making left and right turns with both hands on the handlebars

Be sure your child knows where it is safe to ride and how to do an ABC Quick Check on his or her bicycle. Finally, we ask that you also drive your motor vehicle safely.

More information about these and other safety skills can be downloaded here:
Be a Safe Bike Driver* [including ABC Quick Check]
A Parent's Guide to Buying Kids Bicycles
Rules for Motorists & Bicyclists*
Driving Around Walkers
Be a Safe Walker, Page 1, Page 2

* This file uses the Adobe Acrobat viewer. If you click on the link and you aren't able to view the file, you may need to download and install the viewer.