Appendix A
Teaching your Child the Rules
In addition to The Basics (page 6), Riding Safely (page 7), Off Road Safety (page 8), Wet Weather Riding (page 9), Night Riding (page 9), Bicycling in Traffic (page 10 and Appendix
B)and Downhill, Stunt and Competition Biking (page 10), kids need to be taught ... and to have frequently reinforced ... the following rules and lessons which adults are already expected to know. We urge you to take the time to familiarize yourself with these rules and to teach them to your child before you let your child ride unsupervised.
1.Rules
•No playing in the road or in the street.
•No riding on busy streets.
•No riding at dawn, dusk or at night.
•Stop for all STOP signs.
•Ride on the right of traffic.
2.Lessons
The lessons that follow relate to some of the most common real situations that children encounter when riding their bikes. Go over these situations with your child and make sure the lesson objective is accomplished.
a. Driveway Rideout
When a youngster rides out of the driveway and is struck by a car, that is called a rideout accident.
What can you do? First, realize the danger of your own driveway. If there are obstructions to the view of passing motorists (like bushes or trees), trim them back. You might park
your car in front of the driveway, if local ordinance permits. This way, your child can’t use the driveway as a launching pad.
But the most important thing you can do is teach your child about driveway safety. Take your child outside to the driveway and have him/her practice the following steps:
1)Stop before entering the street.
2)Look left, right and left again for traffic.
3)If there’s no traffic, proceed into the roadway. b. Running the Stop Sign
Car/bike crashes can happen when a cyclist runs a stop sign. Most cyclists who get hit riding through stop signs know that they were supposed to stop. They just thought it would be OK this time; or they may have been distracted. The thing to impress upon your child is that while he/she may not get hit every time, running stop signs will eventually result in an accident.
What can you do? Take your child to a stop sign near home. Explain what it means by emphasizing the following points:
1)Stop at all stop signs, regardless of what is happening.
2)Look in all directions for traffic.
3)Watch for oncoming cars making left turns.
4)Watch for cars behind you making right turns.
5)Wait for any cross traffic to clear.
6)Proceed when safe.
In order to make this lesson stick, you may have to change your own driving habits. If you creep through intersections controlled by stop signs, you are showing your child that you don’t really believe what you preach. For your child’s sake, stop at stop signs.
c. Turning Without Warning
Another major accident type involves cyclists who make unexpected left turns. They neither look behind for traffic, nor
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