Remember the days of speeding down the street to your best friend’s house with the wind whipping through your hair? I bet you do. As a child, you loved riding your bike all over the neighborhood and most likely your children do too. But with all things, times change and some of the rules for bike safety have changed too. Here are some ways to keep your child safe on his bike rides.

Bicycle safety for kids — Bike maintenance

Before your child starts the summer out with bike rides, the first thing you should do is give your child’s bike a checkup.

Check the brakes to see that they are still working. If your child’s bike has hand brakes, make sure the pads aren’t worn out and promptly replace them if they are.

Make sure the bike isn’t missing any spokes in the rims. If you have a child who loves to do "wheelies" or jump hills of dirt, their bike will be more likely to have this problem. Missing spokes means weak rims and the next time they make that jump, the rims may collapse.

Check to see if the reflectors are still in place. Your child shouldn’t be riding after dark, but in the event it is dusk when they are coming home, you want to be sure that drivers can see your bike rider.

Your child is constantly growing and has probably outgrown the seat height of his bike from the year before. Your child should be able to sit on the seat and be able to touch the ground with both feet. If he can’t touch, the seat is too high and will make stopping difficult.

If his knees are almost hitting him in the chin, it’s time to raise the seat so he can maneuver his bike safely or think about getting a new bike.

Make it a rule that your child has to wear a bike helmet when riding his bike. Helmets not only protect in the event that a car hits them but it also protects in the everyday wrecks that your child is bound to have. Any fall can cause damage if your child strikes his head on the pavement. Better safe than sorry.

If you have a brand new bike rider this year, you may want to consider getting some elbow and knee pads until they get the hang of their new ride. Pads not only protect from scrapes and bruises but can also prevent broken bones.

Last, but definitely not least, take the time to teach your child the basic bike riding safety rules. This should cover riding in traffic, hand signals, staying on the right side of the road, no riding after dark, and paying attention to their surroundings.

Take a little time now and give that bike a checkup and your child a quick test about bike safety rules for a fun summer full of bike riding. Bicycle safety for kids is important be sure to pay attention to it!

Javier Hernandez

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