There are around 800 million bikes in the world, double the amount of cars, and they are a very efficient and eco-friendly way of getting around. Children love the speed and independence gained from having a bike, no matter how small they are.
However, on increasingly more crowded roads, cyclists are at risk of accidents and children especially, generally because they don’t have the right protective equipment or simply aren’t seen by motorists.
According to Transport Research Laboratory data, child cyclists make up just 6.6 per cent of road cyclists, yet they account for a disproportionate number of accidental deaths. Government figures show that child cyclists are more than three times more likely to die on Britain’s roads than adult cyclists and that seventy per cent of all cycling deaths and over half of all cycling injuries involve a head injury.
What can you do to minimise the risks to your child?
- Research has demonstrated that helmets can reduce the severity of head injuries by up to 85 per cent. Buying a quality helmet is the most sensible option to minimise the risk of head injury. There are a lot of great looking and fun designs available now that children love.
- Riding gloves and knee and elbow pads protect joints and ‘knock zones’ – especially important in warm weather when riding about in a t-shirt and shorts or when first learning to ride when those all important stabilisers come off!
- A push bike can attain some pretty impressive speeds, gravel rash from a fall at speed can be difficult to treat and often lead to infections and permanent scaring.
- High visibility clothing – bikes are often missed in rear view mirrors and especially on junctions – reflective sashes are a quick, easy and effective way of increasing visibility
- Lights and reflectors (not one or the other) – front and rear and on the spokes – keep them clean or they won’t be seen! Push your bike if the lights run out, there’s no such thing as ‘just a short distance’.
- Bell/horn – even if they can’t see you, they may hear you, especially pedestrians who step onto the road or cycle lane without checking. Make sure it works every journey.
- When parking a bike, make sure they do it on the pavement, not on the kerb as leaning over can put them in the path of a car.
Always teach your child how to be safe on the road.
Basic bike checks:
- Pump up tyres and replace worn or damaged ones (i.e. more than a puncture)
- Loose, rusty or worn chains can come off easily. Keep them oiled and check for wear,
- If you take the saddle off when you lock it up, make sure the quick release is good and tight when you put it back on!
- Wheels – make sure spokes are not loose as this could cause wheels to wobble
- Make sure handlebars are straight and tightened properly
- Check brake blocks for signs of wear and brake cables for wear and tension
When you want to teach your children basic road safety on a bike, there’s no better way than by example. Either you or your partner should go out with them and explain everything that’s going on and what you’re doing and why. Keep them in front of you so you can see them.
When using the roads:
- Use pedestrian/pelican crossings where possible to change direction.
- Watch out for roadworks and make it clear with hand signals that you are going to swing out round them.
- Junctions are hot spots for cycle accidents as cars can pull out onto the road you are on without seeing you – be aware that they are there so you can stop if they can’t.
- Stick to the cycle lanes where they are marked, just watch out for pedestrians.
- Give parked cars a wide berth in case they decide to open their doors onto you.
- Drain covers and grates become very slippery in the rain, as do some types of road and pavement surfaces so watch out for those – easy to lose tyre grip on, as can wet leaves, oil, diesel, ice, sand, grit or even wet roads that have been dry for a long time..
- Don’t listen to music while cycling or worse still, talk on the phone. Your attention and ability to hear oncoming traffic will both be impaired.
- It is extremely dangerous for cyclists to undertake cars, especially if the car is turning left.
- Explain that traffic lights apply to cyclists as well as cars and they are breaking a law by ignoring them.
- Watch out for dogs – they love to chase things and bikes are often fair game!
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