Bicycle Safety Education
No matter how good conditions are for bicycling in your community, bicyclists and motorists need to know how to safely inter act with each other on the roads. That's where education comes in. The following section is a summary of education resources contained in BicyclingInfo.org. For more detailed information on various safety education programs, please consult the above source.
Children & Teens
Bicycles are fun to ride - but they're also legally considered vehicles, and are therefore subject to most of the same traffic rules and regulations as motor vehicles- such as obeying traffic lights and right of way rules. It is the responsibility of every bicyclist to adhere to these laws as well as other safety guidelines.
Preschool Bicyclists Ages 1-5
 Whether a child is still a bicycle passenger traveling with a parent or adult on an approved child safety seat or just beginning to try riding under adult supervision, it's never too soon to start teaching her or him the basics of bicycling safety.
Although preschool bicyclists do not have the cognitive skills necessary to deal with complex bicycling situations, it is vital that this age group begin learning basic safety rules alongside fundamental motor skills. Getting a head start on safety now will put kids on the track to smart lifelong cycling.
Cautions
- Children under the age of one should never be transported on a bicycle. Until a child is able to hold up his or her head independently, do not allow her or him to ride as a passenger.
- Most children under the age of five will probably not be ready to bicycle. But for those who want to learn, they must always remain under the close supervision of a parent or other adult caretaker.
Tools and Skills
- For the preschool bicyclist, the essential is key. Learning to control a bicycle while beginning to understand the ways to be careful when you bicycle is the most important lesson a child of this age can grasp.
- Bicycles are fun to ride, but they are not toys. Teach preschool bicyclists that bicycles are different from a Big Wheel or a toy tricycle. Never let them ride without an adult.
- For preschoolers who are still strictly a bicycle seat passenger, talk to them about safety as you cycle. Explain why you are stopping to look for traffic, etc. Remember, children will learn to do whatever they see parents and adults do!
- Teach the under 5 bicyclist to balance and control the bicycle, to bicycle in a straight line, to turn without falling, to pedal smoothly, to stop and start.
- Teach preschool bicyclists how a crash can happen and how to look out for things that could hurt them: Watch out for cars going in and out of driveways. Stay away from cars with engines running. Stop when you get to the end of a sidewalk or driveway. Watch out for other bicyclists and pedestrians.
- Teach the under-fives to stay away from the street. Emphasize how hard it is for drivers to see little kids on bicycles and show them how they can make themselves more visible.
- Help children pick out the right bike and helmet that best suits their needs and size. Explain why helmets are so important and must be worn at all times. Wear your helmet and set an example.
- Help familiarize preschoolers with the different parts of a bike and helmet. Show them how to use the bike's brakes to slow and stop. Teach them to keep their hands and feet away from the spokes and chains. Teach them the importance of getting a bicycle repaired when something is broken.
Links
- Choosing the Right Size Bicycle for Your Child
- Your Bicycle Helmet: A Correct Fit
- Tips for Getting A Child to Wear a Helmet
- Gearing up for Bicycle Safety
- Why Kids are at Risk
 (PDF–2.8Mb)
- Looking for adventure? Journey along with NHTSA's Safety City Bike Tour!
- Resources, Resources, Resources: Download tip sheets, a bike safety quiz, listings of training programs, catchy brochures, and other fun and handy bicycling resources.
- NHTSA's 10 Smart Routes to Bicycle Safety
Beginner Bicyclists Ages 5-8
Between the ages of five and eight is the most popular time for kids to learn how to ride a bicycle. Make it the most popular time to learn safe riding skills, too.
Cautions
- Because kids' cognitive abilities- skills necessary to safely handle complex traffic situations- are still developing, children ages 5-8 are advised not to bicycle on busy streets or major arterials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children in this age group stick to cycling on sidewalks only.
- Beginner bicyclists should only bicycle with adults when learning to ride.
Tools and Skills
- Concentrate on teaching the 5-8 year old to develop or continue to develop basic riding skills, like knowing when and how to shift gears as he or she pedals. Teach the 5-8 year old to look behind herself or himself for approaching traffic, while simultaneously bicycling in a straight line.
- Teach 5-8's to recognize what can cause a fall and how to control a fall. They should learn how to spot roadway hazards and dodge them.
- Teach 5-8's how to ride carefully on sidewalks, wet roads, and trails. Explain the dangers of night riding, such as low visibility and reduced sight distance- and make sure that this age group avoids riding at night.
- Teach 5-8 year-olds about sidewalks, neighborhood streets, paths, trails, and What Makes a Good Route. At this age, they should learn what bike lanes and bike routes are.
- Teach 5-8's to pay attention to and obey traffic signs, signals, and other markings.
- Teach them the importance of bicycling with traffic, not against it. Like all bicyclists, they should ride on the right.
- Teach 5-8's to better judge distances and speeds. Make sure they understand that it is impossible to positively judge distances and speeds.
- When crossing the street at an intersection or crosswalk, a 5-8 year old bicyclist should dismount and walk the bike, while taking care to watch for vehicles.
- Teach 5-8's how bicyclists and drivers communicate and negotiate with one another. Show them how to use standard hand signals, and make eye contact before moving in front of a car. Explain that a bicyclist cannot predict what a driver or anyone else in traffic will do. Emphasize the importance of always showing respect for others traveling on the road.
- Teach 5-8 year-old bicyclists to familiarize themselves with their bicycle and helmet. Demonstrate basic maintenance skills, such as patching tires. Teach them about the brake lights and headlights they will need, how to carry cargo, how to use rain gear, and how to park and lock a bicycle.
Links
- Choosing the Right Size Bicycle for Your Child
- Your Bicycle Helmet: A Correct Fit
- Tips for Getting A Child to Wear a Helmet
- NHTSA's 10 Smart Routes to Bicycle Safety
- Looking for adventure? Journey along with NHTSA's Safety City Bike Tour!
- Resources, Resources, Resources: Download tip sheets, a bike safety quiz, listings of training programs, catchy brochures, and other fun and handy bicycling resources.
Young Bicyclists Ages 9-12
 At what age is it safe for children to begin to bicycle outside quiet neighborhood streets and ride on the street instead of the sidewalk?
Experts differ slightly on this issue. While there is no magic age that determines when it is safe to ride on arterial roads, children in the 9-12 year-old age group likely have developed the cognitive skills that allow them to bicycle on the road.
Cautions
- Children who are first learning to bicycle, no matter how old they are, should bicycle with an adult until they attain the confidence and skills to ride on their own.
- Good route selection should always be emphasized. Using mandated bike lanes, bike routes, and streets with less traffic is recommended.
- Even when bicycling on the street or block where you live, the 9-12 year old bicyclist must exercise the same degree of caution and defensive bicycling that they do on larger roads.
Tools and Skills
- When teaching 9-12 year-old bicyclists, focus both what they need to know and also what they want to know about bicycling. Spark their interest by asking what they would like to know about bicycling. Teach them to seek out bicycling knowledge by searching the Web, visiting the library, asking at a bike shop or community recreation center about bicycling clubs and rides in their area.
- Emphasize that it's important to ride with traffic- in fact, it's illegal to ride against it.
- Teach the 9-12 year-old bicyclist to hone advanced riding skills, such as selecting gears, learning how to ride in groups, how to follow another bicyclist at a safe distance.
- Teach 9-12's about lane positioning: how to look behind you before changing your position or lane, how to deal with right turn lanes when bicycling straight, what to do when the lane is narrow and cars are parked in your way, and how to alert others in traffic to your intended moves.
- Teach this age group more about their bicycle and its accessories. Emphasize the importance of getting to know your bike. Teach how glasses and gloves can help you; introduce them to the option of special bicycle clothing; and explain how to maintain good hygiene even after a tough ride.
Links
- NHTSA's 10 Smart Routes to Bicycle Safety
- Choosing the Right Size Bicycle for Your Child
- Your Bicycle Helmet: A Correct Fit
- Looking for adventure? Journey along with NHTSA's Safety City Bike Tour!
- Resources, Resources, Resources: Download tip sheets, a bike safety quiz, listings of training programs, catchy brochures, and other fun and handy bicycling resources.
Teenage Bicyclists 13-17
Bicycling with more independence carries with it what can feel like a burden of greater responsibility. Bicyclists hitting their teenage years are probably ready to bicycle further and faster- they may be exploring bike racing, touring, or trail riding. But even though the teenage bicyclist's skills and interests may have changed dramatically, they should be reminded that the rules of the road remain the same.
A great lesson for the teenage bicyclist is to learn to treat his or her newfound responsibility and freedom as a privilege, rather than a hindrance. Risky behaviors put bicyclists at the mercy of motor vehicles; teen bicyclists should by all means enjoy the ride, but always keep their movements visible and predictable.
Cautions
- A bike is no match for a 2,000-5,000 pound vehicle. Most teenagers will learn to drive a car and get their driver's license. When they do, it's important they don't forget what it's like to be a bicyclist. Emphasize that bicyclists in this age group shouldn't let the newfound freedom of driving get in the way of common sense; to avoid injury or worse, it's vital that as a motorist and as a bicyclist, they should act safely and share the road.
Tools and Skills
- Teach the teenage bicyclist to continue to work on good riding skills- performing panic stops, riding in the winter and in inclement weather.
- Teach teen bicyclists about off road and trail bicycling.
- Teach this age group the most important traffic laws for bicyclists. Explain different crashes- typical scenarios and crash types, and how to steer clear of them.
- Emphasize the importance of wearing a helmet. Although helmets might not have seemed so dorky when they were younger, teenagers are likely to be tempted not to wear helmets. Tell them to think about how uncool brain damage is. Wearing a good-fitting helmet properly reduces a bicyclist's risk of major injury and/or fatality by as much as 88%.
- Explain that it is extremely useful and wise to brush up on bicycling safety fundamentals when a teenager move to a city or college where he or she may not have a car and will be using a bike as a major mode of transportation.
Links
- Campus Wise Cycling: Safety Tips 101
- Be Head Smart, It's Time to Start
- NHTSA's 10 Smart Routes to Bicycle Safety
Adult Cyclists
Every day the average adult drives almost 40 miles and spends an hour in the car. Forty percent of these trips are within two miles of the home. Over half the working population lives within five miles of the workplace.
Whether motivated by recreation or transportation, more adults are taking up bicycling than ever before. Yet most adults still rely on their cars for the majority of their transportation needs. Learning more about bicycling greatly increases confidence, and can be a great aid in learning to share the road more effectively, whether you are behind two wheels or one.
Cautions
- Adult bicyclists who are using their bicycle in different situations than they previously did - such as switching from occasional short recreational rides to regularly commuting to work- may want to take a short workshop, join a bike club, or otherwise get involved with their local bicycling community.
- Courses and workshops may focus on learning to race, long distance touring, teach children to bicycle safely, commuting, bike repairs, and more. Check with the League of American Bicyclists for a listing of instruction opportunities available in your area or ask at your local bike shop.
Tools and Skills
- The adult bicyclist should assess her or himself: How confident are you in your bicycling skills? What would you like to know more about? Are there particular kinds of bicycling you'd like to try out? With that in mind, adult bicyclists may wish to check around their community for bike clubs, classes, rides, and other cycling opportunities that may be of interest to them.
- The adult bicyclist should brush up on riding skills and rules if it has been a while since he or she bicycled regularly.
- Adult bicyclists who wish to bicycle with small children, and bicyclists needing to transport cargo, should investigate the various child seats and trailers available, determine which are the safest, and which will work best for them.
- Adult bicyclists should learn more about off-road bicycling, touring, and racing before participating in these activities. Adult bicyclists are encouraged to try bicycling on multi-use paths, but should remember to respect others' needs on the trails.
- Even adult bicyclists who maintain that they only bicycle on paths or quiet streets should not underestimate the importance of wearing a helmet. Accidents can happen anywhere.
- Adult bicyclists should learn how to handle harassment from motorists and others in traffic. As difficult as it may be, it's in the bicyclist's best interest not to return any harassment or insult.
- Just like a car, a bicycle requires basic maintenance to keep running smoothly and safely. The adult bicyclists should learn that bikes are easy to work on and that s/he can save money by learning to maintain them him or herself-- by picking up a manual, taking a repair course. Those who really don't have time should keep their bicycles regularly serviced at a good bike shop.
- Adult bicyclists should know the health and environmental benefits of bicycling. A great way is to learn how to substitute a short bike ride for many car trips and errands, and fit bicycling into one's everyday life.
Links
- NHTSA's 10 Smart Routes to Bicycle Safety
- Better Biking Illustrated Cycling Tips
 Senior Cyclists
Senior bicyclists may be bicycling for the first time in many years, so they will need to brush up on current laws and rules that relate to bicyclists and sharing the road. Some senior bicyclists may simply be continuing a lifelong bicycling habit. However, as they grow older, they may be confronted with some physical issues that require new solutions.
Cautions
- Although senior bicyclists may have decades of traffic experience under their belt, they may not be accustomed to the ways that bicycles function in traffic today. A short bicycle course or workshop can be helpful in bringing them up to speed.
Tools and Skills
- Bicycles are required to ride on the right, with traffic, not against it. This may be contrary to the way many seniors first learned to ride. Teach them that this is the current law and that they may be ticketed for riding against traffic.
- Teach the senior bicyclist about the various styles of bikes and which one will best suit their needs, and also how to select and purchase a properly fitting helmet. Explain the different ways of carrying cargo, and what lights and other accessories, such as a water bottle holder, they may need. Introduce them to other options, such as gloves and glasses, and how they may benefit from these accessories.
- Compare bicycling to driving a car. Remind the senior bicyclist that as a bicyclist he or she is a vehicle operator and is therefore subject to the same laws as drivers of cars. By adhering to these rules, s/he will help the concept of sharing the road become more of a reality, and create a more inviting, less stressful atmosphere on the roads.
- Teach senior bicyclists to maintain a defensive riding attitude, even when the law and right-of-way are in their favor. Emphasize that they should anticipate what a driver MIGHT do- but should not take it for granted that he or she will actually do it. Senior bicyclists should never underestimate the importance of good motorist/cyclist communication through hand signals and eye contact.
- Just as they would when driving a car, senior bicyclists should scan traffic regularly by looking around and behind them as they ride. Some senior adults discover that it become more difficult to turn their heads to scan as they grow older. If so, they should have a rearview or side mirror mounted to their bike, and learn to use it.
- Senior bicyclists should learn how to safely navigate your way through intersections and complex traffic situations. They should also be able to recognize and avoid road hazards.
Links
- American Association for Retired Persons' sports page
- National Institute on Aging's exercise tips for elder adults
- Just for seniors, an all-health and fitness site
- NHTSA's 10 Smart Routes to Bicycle Safety
- Your Bicycle Helmet: A Correct Fit
Helmets
Properly wearing a helmet when bicycling is your best means of protection against injury. Donning a bike helmet is not the most complicated task. But there is a right way to wear a helmet and choosing the right type of helmet.
Cautions
- Helmets are your last line of defense in an accident and can serious head injuries by 85% in a crash.
- Make sure that the helmet fits on top of the head, not tipped back.
- After a crash or any impact that affects your helmet, replace it immediately.
- Find the smallest helmet shell size that fits over your head.
- The straps should be joined just under each ear at the jawbone.
- Periodically check your strap adjustment; improper fit can render a helmet useless.
- Helmets with good ventilation can actually be cooler than riding with no helmet at all.
- Helmets come in all different colors in different models; buy a highly visible color.
Links
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute
The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (BHSI)'s Web site is a veritable clearinghouse of information on the subject. Go there for information on anything from general safety tips and stats, to consumer and recall info, and almost any other helmet topic you can think of. They provide a handy online toolkit for organizers of helmet safety campaigns.
Can you tell me how to bike to Sesame Street?
Specialists at the Children's Memorial Medical Center in Chicago discuss the perfect bike helmet and give helpful tips for outfitting children with a bicycle helmet.
American Association of Pediatricians
Tips for getting a child to wear a helmet.
Helmet Fit
NHTSA's Tips on achieving the perfect bike helmet fit.
Ride with a Couple of Dummies
Take the illustrated Safety City Bike Tour with Vince and Larry, the crash test dummies! Includes stops at Helmet Junction, City Biking, and even a few Danger Zones. Provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Hey Kids Comic Book
Download Sprocketman and read the adventures of another helmet-wearing superhero cyclist.
Color on Sesame Street
Ernie on his Bike.
Watch a Helmet Cartoon
A very short animated cartoon in which Jen displays the right way to wear a helmet and other bicycling safety basics.
Quick Answers!
Buying a helmet?
How to fit a helmet
Toolkit for helmet programs and teachers
Teachers and student teachers
Helmet recalls
Types of helmets
Helmet sizing
Reflective helmets
Multi-purpose helmets
Getting My Child to Wear A Helmet
What size is my child's head?
Helmets for teens
Helmets for seniors
Helmets for special needs
Standards for bicycle helmets
Replacing a helmet
Repairing a helmet
Mandatory helmet laws
Below are materials of interest to educators and community safety councils:
Lesson Plans! 16 lessons and tests from California.
A quiz for 5th graders on helmet safety to teach them to use the Web
The page of Quick Answers where the kids research the quiz answers
Our outline for a workshop on bicycle helmets
Videos for helmet campaigns
Outline for a Talk on Bicycle Safety
A simple page on helmets
A coloring page for pre-schoolers
An 11x17 coloring book in .pdf format from RAGBRAI (PDF–244Kb)
A maze and a connect-the-numbers
A mold for making gelatin brains
Demonstrations with melons and gelatin brains
Helmet tongue-twisters
A word game that is a challenge to read
Sources of posters
A sample flyer for a school poster contest.
Do you need Graphics or clip art for your pamphlet or poster?
What a helmet does in a crash
Instructions for organizing a bike rodeo
Our pamphlet: A Bicycle Helmet for My Child
Our pamphlet: How to Fit a Bicycle Helmet
A page on avoiding head lice while swapping helmets
How to Teach Your Child to Ride
Pamphlet: How children see traffic situations
How to get our pamphlets on paper
How to DOT's pamphlets on paper
A catalog of DOT pamphlets and materials
Pamphlets and videos in Spanish and French
A US DOT CD ROM: Bicycle Safety Resource Guide
Why kids don't like to wear helmets.
When are kids ready to ride?
A warning: no helmets on playground equipment or climbing trees!
Helmets on college campuses
Tips for bike safety on college campuses
Mandatory Helmet Laws
Using stickers on helmets
Will kids use helmets you give them?
Motorists
When educating motorists about bicycling, one should approach them with appropriate respect. Respecting motorists is the first step in awakening them to the need to safely share the road with bicyclists and pedestrians. When bicyclists or pedestrians alienate motorists, they inspire the ill will of some of the most powerful people in traffic. Bicyclists- and cycling-minded educators- must learn to work with motorists; not against them. Realize that motorists may not have any experience bicycling and therefore may not understand the situations that confront bicyclists in traffic.
Cautions
- When educating motorists, one should always emphasize the benefits of sharing the road, such as safer, more inviting streets with reduced crime, increased property value, a better environment, and an overall enhanced quality of life.
- Instructors in motorist education should underscore the notion that a bicycle is not a toy but a viable means of transportation- often the only means of transportation for many people.
- Those educating motorists should stress that they are not trying to force motorists off the roads or take away their rights, but illustrate that bicyclists have an equal right to the road. The more motorists know about bicycling safety, the safer streets will be for everyone on them.
Tools and Skills
- Motorists should learn to look for bicyclists in traffic just as they would check for cars, especially when switching lane position or turning or going through an intersection. They should look for bicyclists in parking lots, or exiting and entering roadways. Motorists must always anticipate bicyclists at night and learn how to detect them.
- The motorist must pay special attention to children on bicycles, particularly in residential neighborhoods and in school zones, on sidewalks, and entering or exiting driveways. Teach motorists that kids are not small adults and therefore cannot deal with traffic in the way that adults can. They should understand that kids do not judge speeds or distance well, and act accordingly.
- Explain to motorists about bike lanes and teach motorists how to operate around them.
- Motorists should be aware of weather conditions, how they can affect bicyclists, and adjust accordingly.
- Drivers of motor vehicles should be aware why some bicyclists choose to bicycle busy streets or choose to bike on the street even when there may be a bike trail in the vicinity. Stress to motorists that even if there is high traffic, bicyclists have as much right to the street as they do.
- Teach motorists how to safely pass an individual or group of riders on the road. Motorists should learn how to cope with interruptions in traffic, such as bicycling races and tours.
- Explain the importance of driving predictably and obeying traffic laws, just as motorists would expect other drivers and bicyclists to do.
- Motorists should learn why crashes happen and what risky behavior is, so that they can avoid and prevent future accidents.
- Teach motorists how to communicate with bicyclists, particularly when negotiating right of way. They must make sure that a bicyclist knows they have seen him or her, through good eye contact.
- Explain the importance of showing common courtesy and respect on the road. Stress using less harmful ways of venting anger and frustration, rather than taking these feelings on a bicyclist. Drivers should learn how motorist harassment can be threatening to bicyclists and avoid it.
- Motorists should be encouraged to look for and report impaired bicyclists.
- Motorists should learn why people bicycle, for health and fitness, transportation, recreational fun, and the environment.
Links
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