• What Parents Should Know
• Car Seat Programs
• Car Seat Basics
• CPS Certification Training
• Teenage Drivers
• Safer Neighborhoods
• Bicycle & Helmet Safety
• Laws

  

Bicycle and Helmet Safety

Bicycle Safety

Bicycles are vehicles. Children should not ride bikes in the road until they fully understand traffic rules and show they can follow them.

To learn more about bike safety, please visit:
http://www.nhtsa.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.810acaee50c651189ca8e410dba046a0

If you would like more information or printed materials covering the issue of bicycle safety, please visit the Bicycle Safety Resources page and download the IPRC Order Form or call toll free 1-800-231-6145.

Helmet Safety

Most children who are killed in bike crashes are 7 to 12 years old. The most serious injuries children receive while biking are head and brain injuries. These injuries can cause death and lifelong disability. A brain injury cannot be cured. Bike helmets can reduce the risk of head injury by 85% when worn correctly. Insist that your children wear a helmet on every ride. They should also wear a helmet when participating in other sports, like in-line skating and skateboarding.

Selecting and fitting a bike helmet:

• Every new helmet must meet the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Standard and display a label stating that it meets the standard. On older helmets, look for a CPSC, ASTM, ANSI, or Snell sticker inside the helmet.
• Use foam pads inside to fit the helmet snugly so it doesn't move on the head.
• Fit the helmet so the front is two finger widths above the eyebrows. Teach your child to wear their helmet the correct way.
• Adjust the two side straps so they meet in a "V" right under each ear.
• Adjust the chinstrap snugly under the chin. Make it tight enough so the helmet pulls down when the child opens his mouth.
• Check often to make sure the straps stay snug and the helmet stays level on the head.

Your child will enjoy his or her helmet more if you let him or her help to choose it. Explain that a helmet is "just part of the gear," as it is with football, racecar driving, or hockey. Praise children for wearing their helmets. Talk to other parents, so that all neighborhood families encourage the same safety rules. Above all, be a good role model and wear your bike helmet!