Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City
516-222-5100
The month of May is the official National Bike Month. This month
gives bike lovers the opportunity to celebrate the unique power of the bicycle
and the many reasons why so many individuals out there love to ride them.
In honor of National Bike Month, get involved within your city or state and help to get more people in your community active and riding!
In honor of National Bike Month, get involved within your city or state and help to get more people in your community active and riding!
Bicycling is the most popular outdoor activity for American youth! More than 70% of all US children ages 5-14 ride a bicycle.
Don't forget to share these bike safety tips with your children before heading out for a ride:
- Wear a properly fitted bike helmet- protect your brain, save your life.
- Adjust your child's bicycle to fit- have your child stand over their bicycle. There should be 1-2 inches between him and the top tube (bar) if using a road bike and 3-4 inches if it's a mountain bike. The seat should be level front to back. The seat height should be adjusted to allow a slight bend at the knee when the leg is fully extended. The handlebar height should be at the same level with the seat.
- Check your equipment- before riding, inflate tired properly and check that your brakes work.
- See and be seen- Whether daytime, dawn, dusk, foul weather, or at night, you need to be seen by others. Wearing white has not been shown to make you more visible. Rather, always wear neon, fluorescent, or other bright colors when riding day or night. Also, wear something that reflects light, such as reflective tape or markings, or flashing lights. Remember, just because you can see a driver doesn't mean the driver can see you.
- Control your bicycle- Always ride with at least one hand on the handlebars. Carry books and other items in a bicycle carrier or backpack.
- Watch for and avoid road hazards- be on the lookout for hazards such as potholes, broken glass, gravel, puddles, leaves and dogs. All these hazards can cause a crash. If you are riding with friends and you are in the lead, yell out and point to the hazard to alert the riders behind you.
- Avoid riding at night- it is far more dangerous to ride at night than during the day because you are harder for others to see. If you have to ride at night, wear something that makes you more easily seen by others. Make sure you have reflectors on the rear and front of your bicycle in addition to reflectors on your tires so others can see you.
- Go with the traffic flow- ride on the right in the same direction as other vehicles. Go with the flow, not against it.
- Stay alert at all times- use your eyes and ears. Watch out for potholes, cracks, wet leaves, storm grates, railroad tracks, or anything that could make you lose control of your bike. You need your ears to hear traffic and avoid dangerous situations; don't wear a headphones when you ride.
- Children under 10 years old should ALWAYS ride on the sidewalk.
- Children 10 years and older can ride in the street, but should obey all traffic laws and signs.
- Watch for vehicles coming out of or turning into driveways.
- Stop at corners and sidewalks and streets to look for cars and to make sure the drives see you before crossing.
- Enter a street at a corner and not between parked cars. Alert pedestrians that you are near by saying "excuse me," or "passing on your left," or use a bell.
No comments:
Post a Comment