Summer Safety Biking Rules for Your Kids

Bicycling is a generally fun, safe activity for kids that gives them exercise and a sense of freedom. However, especially in congested South Florida communities, automobiles and poor road conditions are serious hazards.

You can protect your children from a biking accident and injury by teaching them bicycling safety tips and insisting that they obey traffic rules. Instruct your kids to do the following whenever riding a bicycle:

• Wear a helmet — Florida law requires all bicyclists under the age of 16 to wear a helmet to help protect them from traumatic brain injury.

• Remain visible — Automobile drivers can more easily see children who are dressed in brightly colored clothing and riding bikes with reflectors and lights, especially during nighttime riding.

• Stay in designated biking areas — When designating where your child is allowed to ride, consider the level of traffic, availability of bike lanes and width of sidewalks and your child’s age, biking experience and maturity.

• Obey traffic laws — Children should be taught appropriate traffic laws, such as stopping at red lights and stop signs and crossing the street only in designated crosswalks and intersections.

• Use hand signals — Your children should learn the hand signals that alert motorists to when a bicyclist is turning or stopping.

• Ride predictably — Swerving and making sudden moves confuses motorists as to which path your child is taking, which can result in a dangerous collision.

• Look out for obstacles — Instruct your children to look out for such potential obstructions as cracks, potholes, storm grates, garbage, gravel, curbs, oil and puddles.

• Do not wear headphones — A biker who is listening to music or talking on the phone through an earpiece may not hear a car approaching or honking a horn, a dangerous situation for both the driver and the biker.

• Do not engage in distracted biking — Distracted driving campaigns have raised awareness about the dangers of texting or talking on the phone while driving, but these principles also apply to biking.

You can help make biking safer for your child, but you cannot eliminate all risks of injuries. If your child sustains injuries in a bicycle accident caused by the negligence of someone else, consult with a Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyer.