|
|
WEAR A HELMET !
It's the Law |
Parent Alert:
Biking is one of our most popular outdoor activities. There are more than 67 million bicycle riders in the United States taking to our roads and trails every year. Approximately 27 million of these bicyclists are children under the age of 14. The youngsters of this group ride about 50 percent more than the average bicyclist. Each year approximately 300 children under the age of 14 are killed in bicycle related incidents. Of these deaths, 90 percent are the result of collisions with motor vehicles. Bicycle related deaths are highest in children ages 10-14. |
Bike Smart - WEAR A HELMET
Your child may not think that wearing a helmet is "cool". You may think that bike helmets cost too much. Nonetheless, a helmet can save a child from serious head injury in a fall or collision. Most serious bike crashes happen close to home on quiet streets. The majority of bicycle crashes do not involve motor vehicles. About 95 percent of injury producing bicycle mishaps occur when a bicyclist falls or runs into other objects. When children fall off bikes, there is a significant risk of hitting their heads. Hands an knees hitting the ground may cause cuts, bruises or broken bones, but if a child's head strikes the ground, even at slow speeds, permanent brain injury may result. Research has shown that wearing a bicycle helmet can reduce the risk of head injury and trauma by as much as 85 percent. |
It's the Law
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Law (39:4-10.1) requires that all persons under the age of 14 who operate a bicycle, wear a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet that meet the safety standards of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI Z90.4 bicycle helmet standard) or the Snell Memorial Foundation's 1984 Standard for Protective Headgear for Use in Bicycling. This requirement also applies to a person who rides upon a bicycle while in a restraining seat which is attached to the bicycle or in a trailer towed by the bicycle. Furthermore, a legal guardian may be subject to a fine, for a violation of this requirement. |
|
Tips on Bicycle Safety
•Ride a bicycle that is the right size for you.
•Inspect the bike before each ride. Check the brakes and check for loose wheels.
•STOP before riding out into traffic from a driveway, sidewalk, parking lot or alley way. LOOK left, right and left again. Only enter a roadway when there is NO traffic.
•RIDE on the right, with traffic.
•OBEY all traffic signs and signals. STOP at all stop signs and red traffic lights. Kids under 12 should walk, not ride their bikes through busy intersections.
•Do not ride in the wrong direction on one-way streets.
•Use proper hand signals to indicate turns.
•LOOK BACK and YIELD to traffic coming from behind you, before turning left at intersections.
•Always ride single file.
•Give pedestrians the right-of-way.
•Carry no passengers, except on approved baby carry seats.
•Keep both hands on the handlebars, use a bike basket, rack or back-pack to carry packages.
•Make sure your bike is equipped with a white light on the front and a red light on the rear. A full set of reflectors should also be on your bike.
•Always wear light colored or bright clothing. Reflective tape helps at night.
•Don't listen to headphones when riding. |
Stay Alert
•Ride defensively, watch out for:
Cars coming out of driveways and side streets.
Doors opening from parked cars.
Potholes, oil slicked areas and storm drains.
•Practice Safe Bicycling With Your Children
•Always Wear Your Bicycle Helmet
In New Jersey, one year after the mandatory bicycle helmet law was passed, fatalities for bicyclist under the age of 14 dropped 80 percent and helmet use rose from 3 percent to 68.6 percent. |
Parents and Children
Riding in non-daylight conditions (dawn, dusk or night) is 3.6 times more risky for children ages 14 and under than riding during the daytime.
Two-thirds of bicycle fatalities
(for all ages) occur from May to September.
Bicycling is an enjoyable and healthy outdoor activity. Please follow the basic rules of road safety, stay alert and focused and always wear a protective helmet. Let the Spring and warm weather season be family fun times and not a time of family tragedy. |
|
|
|
