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With its days full of warm weather and sunshine, summer is the perfect time for your family members -- from young children to parents to grandparents, and everyone in between -- to get outside and ride bikes.
But before your family takes advantage of all the health and leisure benefits that biking affords, it’s important to learn the ins and outs of bicycle safety.
We’ve compiled safety tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration below to help keep you and your loved ones safe and active all summer long while cycling. Make safety a family learning experience.
- [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"40070","attributes":{"class":"media-image","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","alt":"Girls wearing helmets on bikes"}}]]Make yourself visible. Wear reflective clothing and outfit your ride with bike lights or reflectors on the front and back.
- Get road ready. Before embarking on a bike ride, be sure tires are properly inflated and brakes are functioning properly.
- Check fit. Wear a properly fitting helmet and adjust the fit of the bicycle seat and handlebars.
- Know the rules of the road (or trail or sidewalk). No matter where you ride, it’s important to pay attention to your surroundings at all times. Go with the flow of traffic and obey laws or regulations that apply to the street, trail or sidewalk you’re riding along.
- Be alert! Be on the lookout for traffic in all variations -- cars, pedestrians, other cyclists and so forth. Remember to watch for people or vehicles turning, merging onto your path or stopping ahead of you. Pay attention to any obstacles on your path, like potholes, puddles and parked cars.
- Remember! It's generally safer to bike in the street, children under 10 should ride their bikes on the sidewalk.
For more info check out this great post on Tips for Biking with Kids.
With a little planning and effort, your family is sure to enjoy this summer cycling safely!
