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Riding a Bike to School
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| Selecting
a Bike Helmet for Kids |
Choose
a helmet carefully and make sure it fits your
child properly. Look for a CPSC sticker saying
the helmet has been tested and meets the federal
safety standard issued by the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission. Select a brand and size that
fits the child now, not one to "grow into."
Helmets sell in bike shops or by mail order from
$20 up, or in discount stores for even less. A
good bike shop helps with fitting, and the fit
is important for child safety.
Here are important guidelines
for purchasing and correctly wearing a helmet:
- The helmet should be
smooth, fit comfortably and not be able to move
when the child jerks his or her head from side
to side.
- It should sit parallel
to the ground, not tilted back, with about an
inch (two fingers) between the child's eyebrows
and the edge of the helmet.
- Make sure your child's
helmet straps are always buckled when riding
a bike. The straps should fit snugly, but not
too tightly. The sliding clasp on each side
of the head should be situated just below the
ears. You should be able to put a finger under
the closed strap against the child's neck.
- Getting a good fit is
a matter of trial and error - use pads provided
by the manufacturer and the strap adjustments.
Try several helmets on your child in the store
- not all helmet styles fit all heads equally
well. Tug on the helmet to make sure it won't
come off the child's head.
- Encourage your child
to select the helmet color and pattern, the
brighter the better. If the helmet is considered
"cool" a kid is more likely to wear
it.
- Avoid child helmets
with snag points sticking out, a squared-off
shell, inadequate vents, excessive vents, an
extreme "aero" shape, dark colors
and thin straps.
- Finally, as a parent,
set a good example by always wearing a helmet
yourself.
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Many students ride their bikes to school
- some wear helmets, some don't. Statistics prove that EVERY
kid should wear a helmet EVERY time they ride a bike. Each
year, about 400,000 children under the age of 15 are treated
in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for bike-related injuries.
Kids ages 5 through 14 have the highest bike injury rate of
all riders. About one-third of the injuries and two-thirds
of the deaths are head-related. BICYCLE HELMETS CAN REDUCE
THE RISK OF BRAIN INJURY OR DEATH BY UP TO 85 PERCENT. Enough
said?
Never let your children ride their bikes
to school - or anywhere else - without wearing a helmet. Although
kids may not think helmets are "cool", there are
things you can do to change that attitude. For example, allow
your child to choose the color and pattern. Just make sure
the helmet has a safety label that complies with the Consumer
Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Federal Standard. (See accompanying
box for guidelines on purchasing and correctly wearing a helmet.)
When riding together, set a good example
by wearing your own helmet. Encourage your child's friends
to wear helmets. Peer pressure can be used if several families
in your neighborhood make helmet use a regular habit. At first,
the helmet may feel strange to a young child, so it's wise
to offer words of encouragement. Praise your child each time
the helmet is worn. Some parents offer a special treat or
reward when their child puts on the helmet without being told.
Younger kids should only be allowed
to ride a bike to school if they don't have to cross a street.
Older kids will often want to ride their bikes - if their
school permits it. Don't allow any child to ride to school
unless he or she is mature enough to understand these basic
bike safety rules from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:
- Always wear a bike helmet.
- Stop and check traffic before riding
into a street.
- Obey traffic signs and signals.
- Ride on the right-hand side of the
street.
- Check your brakes before riding.
- Give cars and pedestrians the right-of-way.
- Wear light or bright-colored clothing
so motorists can see you.
- Be extra careful turning left -
motorists don't expect it.
- Stay in complete control of your
bike.
- Never wear headphones while riding;
they impair your ability to hear.
A word of warning: The CPSC warns
that children should not wear bike helmets when playing on
playground equipment because of the "hidden hazard"
of strangulation.
> School
Bus Safety Home Page
> Taking
the School Bus
> Walking
to School
> Riding
a Bike to School
> Play
it Safe When You're Behind the Wheel
> Sources
of Back to School Information and Web Links
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