Get Your Child Learning Bike Safety Early

The importance of bicycle safety can be stressed at an early age. Every year there are more than 200 bike related deaths involving kids under 15. Over 300,000 kids per year are treated for a bike related injury at an hospital or emergency care center with over 8,000 needing hospitalization.

Without bike helmets, those numbers are estimated to be double by the Children's Safety Network. Helmets save lives and there is no reason not to demand that your child wear one, no matter how much they protest.

Any lesson on learning to ride a bike should begin with bicycle safety. The most important lessons of bike safety can be taught to kids who are as young as three. The first lesson can be taught by example when a child's parent regularly wears their bike helmet when riding.

While very young children might not be ready to learn all there is to know about bicycle safety, they can begin to grasp important concepts. Beyond wearing a helmet, parents should be constantly reviewing the basics of bike safety with their toddler age children. Show your child the areas you consider to be safe for riding. Always make safe stops at intersections and remind your child why you do this

Most people emphasize balance as the first lesson of bike riding and it is important, but bike survial skills are the most important. The first thing a child should learn about riding a bike is how to avoid a crash.

These recommendations from the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (BHSI) are rules worth following:

1. Always stop before riding into the street.
2. Obey stop signs.
3. Check behind you before swerving, turning or changing lanes.
4. Always ride on the right side of the street.
5. Never follow another rider without obeying rules 1-4.

Your three-year-old son or daughter is certainly capable of learning to ride a bike, especially if they begin on a balance bike. It's a child's inability to process the information that allows us to realize the inherent dangers in bike riding that makes the activity risky.Their limitation is their inability to grasp the danger inherent in the activity. They don't understand how to protect themselves.

Begin teaching them bike safety early and make it an emphasis on every ride. Show them the safe areas to ride, how and when to stop and remind them of the rules to avoid a crash.

By: Kellog Vanderhague

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Searching for a wood bike for your youngster? Kids who like motor bikes and choppers might favor the colorful, painted Kiddimoto wood bikes that look like real motorcycles.