How to Keep Your Children Safe While Riding Bikes

Most parents spend time protecting their children and teaching them lessons regarding safety.

We childproof our homes when the kids are young, we teach them how to safely cross the street and we place them in car seats when traveling.
However, as they become ready to ride a bicycle many parents don't put the same effort into protecting their kids on the bikes. Here are a few tips on keeping your kids safe while riding their bikes! We've all heard it over and over, but helmets are crucial! They can absolutely save a life as statistics show that 80% of kids who die in biking accidents each year are due to head injuries.
A total of 130 kids die every year from biking accidents, however there are 270,000 total kids injured on bikes.
These 270,000 injuries have been documented in the emergency room and close to 50% of these visits caused trauma to the brain.

Less than 25% of children under 14 years old actually wear helmets while riding.
If every child wore a helmet, the brain trauma would be cut by close to 90%.

Many cities due require children under the age of 16 to wear helmets, but I guess it's not enforced well enough.
Wearing a helmet will help, but making sure it's the right size is just as important.
If the helmet isn't the proper size, the risk of a head injury is almost double than if your child was fitted properly.

If your child has been in a crash and the helmet is damaged, make sure to replace the helmet.

If there is any damage to the helmet for any reason, it should be replaced as well. To help influence your child you should always wear a helmet as well. You should also let them pick their own helmet, so they get something they think is "cool." The next key factor to keeping your kids safe on their bike is properly maintaining the bike. You should also confirm they're on the right size bike.

The proper size can be measured by having your kid stand next to the bike.
If there's one to two inches between the child and the top bar, then it's the right size bike.
The seat should be at a comfortable level where the knees bend just a bit at the bottom point. Always make sure the handle bars are on the same level as the seat. The last piece of the puzzle for a safe rider is a child who understands where to ride and what to watch out for.
The children should know to keep their eyes open for potholes and gravel roads.
Of course the biggest enemy is cars! If they can't ride on the sidewalk, they should always ride with traffic and use hand signals.
Biking can be a lot of fun for kids.

It allows them to get some exercise and get outside on a nice day.
This guideline can really help keep your children safe while they're out there enjoying!