Learning to ride a bike is an important lesson for your child, but if basic cycling safety rules are not followed, your child could be seriously injured or even fatal.
As parents, we need to be aware of common cycling safety myths and use the right information to guide our children to ride safely.
Myth 1: You don’t need a helmet for short rides
Fact: Your child must wear a helmet no matter how short the ride!
Many parents think that if their child is just riding around the neighborhood, on the sidewalk, or visiting a friend’s house, they don’t need a helmet.
But the truth is, most bicycle accidents happen close to home, on driveways, sidewalks, and neighborhood bike paths, not just on the road.
Helmets can effectively prevent serious head injuries, so it’s important that your child wears a helmet when riding, no matter how long the ride is! Only by making wearing a helmet a habit can safety become a natural reaction.
Myth 2: Football helmets are as safe as bicycle helmets
Fact: Only bicycle helmets can effectively protect your head while riding!
Different helmets are designed for different types of sports.
Football helmets, baseball helmets or construction helmets can protect the head, but they cannot provide the cushioning needed when riding, nor can they effectively absorb the impact of a fall.
Correct approach:
Only let your child wear a bicycle helmet that meets the certification of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
If it is a multisport helmet, make sure it has the CPSC bicycle helmet certification, otherwise do not use it for riding.
Myth 3: Buy a larger bicycle, so it can last longer
Fact: Buying a bicycle that is too large is very dangerous for children!
Many parents will buy their children a large-sized bicycle that “can be ridden for many years” in order to save money. But the problem is that children’s coordination and control skills are not mature enough. Riding a too large bicycle is easy to lose control, increasing the risk of falling and injury.
How to choose the right bicycle?
The child sits on the seat, holds the handlebars with both hands, and the soles of both feet (forefoot) can touch the ground.
The first bicycle for beginners should be equipped with foot brakes, because children’s hand strength and coordination are not enough to control the hand brake.
Myth 4: It’s safer to ride facing traffic
Fact: Children should always ride with the flow of traffic, not against it!
Some parents believe it’s safer for their children to ride facing traffic so they can see oncoming traffic. But the opposite is true!
Research shows that nearly a quarter of bicycle-car collisions are caused by cyclists riding against the flow of traffic.
The right thing to do is: always ride to the right, with the flow of traffic.
This avoids the risk of head-on collisions with vehicles and makes it easier for drivers to predict the cyclist’s movements.
Myth 5: Children shouldn’t use hand signals because they can fall
Fact: Hand signals are an important part of the “rules of the road” and must be used when riding!
Parents may worry that their children will be distracted or lose balance when using hand signals while riding. But in fact, hand signals are key to communication between cyclists and drivers and can help reduce accidents.
If your child is not yet proficient in using hand signals while riding, it means they are not ready to ride on the road.
Many teenage cycling accidents occur because they don’t use hand signals to let drivers know they are turning ahead of time, which leads to collisions.
So, before your child starts riding on the road, be sure to teach them the correct hand signals!
Myth 6: Reflective vests and reflectors make riding at night safe
Fact: Riding at night is never safe for children!
Even if your child wears a reflective vest and installs reflectors, riding at night is still very dangerous. Riding at night requires special equipment and skills, which most children do not have.
Children should not ride bicycles at dusk or after dark!
If adults must ride at night, they should also be equipped with professional lights, headlights and high-brightness reflective equipment.
Myth 7: Bicycle safety rules are not important, I was not injured as a child
Fact: Hundreds of thousands of children are seriously injured or even killed in cycling accidents every year!
Many parents think, “I didn’t wear a helmet when I rode a bicycle as a child, and I didn’t follow any rules, but I was fine, wasn’t I?” But you are just lucky, and you can’t expect your children to be as lucky.
Statistics show that hundreds of thousands of children are injured in cycling accidents every year, and hundreds of them die in accidents.
Many serious injuries can be avoided by following basic cycling safety rules!