Bike Safety
Jennifer Fordham
The weather is finally getting warmer, and summer is just around the corner! Most of our children will begin to learn to ride their trikes and bikes this year. What a fun milestone, and one we can all remember learning. Children discover their freedom when they learn to ride a bike, and the outside world opens to new adventures and places. It’s not uncommon for young children to resist the use of a helmet, but if we instill this safety measure at the very beginning of their biking journey, they have a better chance of continuing this important and life-saving practice.
Our annual trike-a-thon to support St. Jude's Children’s Research Hospital is quickly approaching on Tuesday, April 29th. We will have a practice day on Thursday, April 24th, and request that you bring your child’s helmet to school that day. We will be reinforcing and teaching the components of bike safety throughout the week leading up to the trike-a-thon.
Sadly, head injuries occur in about 15% of childhood bicycle-related crashes. Wearing a bike helmet decreases the risk of head injury by 85%, severe brain injury by 88%, and facial fractures by 31%. Together, we must protect our children by teaching them the safety rules of biking. Here are a few articles that expand on the importance of all aspects of bike safety.
“Riding a bicycle is the closest you can get to flying.”
– Robin Williams