CT Safe Kids Offers Parents Bicycle Safety Tips

HARTFORD — With spring finally here, droves of children are riding their bicycles and taking advantage of the long days as the school year comes to a close. Many of these children, however, are not wearing the proper safety equipment that could save their lives in case of a dangerous crash.

“Bicycles are associated with more childhood injures than any other consumer product except the automobile,” said Karen Brock, director of Connecticut Safe Kids, a program of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center that is sponsored by the Elks of Connecticut.

“Head injury is the leading cause of death in bicycle crashes and is the most important determinant of bicycle-related death and disability,” she said. “The single most effective safety device available to reduce head injury and death in wheeling sports is a helmet.”

Ms Brock added that children are more likely to die from bicycle crashes at nonintersection locations during the months of May to August and between the hours of 3 and 6 pm. Nearly 60 percent of all childhood bicycle-related deaths occur on minor roads, with the typical crash occurring within one mile of the bicyclist’s home.

“Bicycle helmets have been shown to reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent and the risk of brain injury as much as 88 percent,” Ms Brock said. “Most bicycle-related fatalities among children could have been prevented with a bicycle helmet.”

Connecticut State law requires all children under the age of 16 to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. Connecticut Safe Kids offers the following prevention tips to ensure that a safe time is enjoyed by all when cycling this spring and summer.

A bicycle helmet is a necessity, not an accessory. Always wear a bicycle helmet every time and everywhere you ride.

Wear a bicycle helmet correctly. The helmet should fit comfortably and snugly, but not too tightly. It should sit on top of your head in a level position, and it should not rock forward and back or from side to side. The helmet straps must always be buckled.

Buy a bicycle helmet that meets or exceeds the safety standards developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the Snell Memorial Foundation and/or the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

Learn the rules of the road and obey all traffic laws. Ride on the right side of the road, with traffic, not against. Use appropriate hand signals, respect traffic signals, stop at all intersections (marked and unmarked), and stop and look both ways before entering a street.

Cycling should be restricted to sidewalks and paths until a child is age 10 and is able to show how well she or he rides and observes the basic rules of the road.