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Bike and Pedestrian Safety

Bike Safety

Riding a bike is a fun way for everyone to get some exercise and stay healthy. Yet, less than half of the children wear helmets. Properly fitted helmets can reduce the risk of head injuries by 45 percent.

Safety tips to prevent head injuries:

  • Always wear a properly fitted helmet. Make sure the helmet is the right size and the straps are fitted snugly. One finger should fit between the chin and chin strap. The helmet should be level on the head and not slide side to side or front to back. Click here to watch a video that demonstrates the safest way to wear a bike helment. 
  • Ride on the sidewalk when you can. If not, ride in the same direction as traffic as far on the right-hand side as possible.  
  • Use hand signals and follow the rules of the road. Be predictable by making sure you ride in a straight line and don’t swerve between cars.    
  • Wear bright colors and use lights, especially when riding at night and in the morning. Reflectors on your clothes and bike will help you be seen.
  • Ride with your children. Stick together until you are comfortable that your kids are ready to ride on their own. 

Resources

Safe Kids Worldwide

Florida’s Pedestrian & Bicycling Safety Resource Center

Florida Bicycle Regulations F.S 316.2065

Pedestrian Safety

The Hard Facts

Unintentional pedestrian injuries are the fifth leading cause of injury-related death in the
United States for children ages 5 to 19. Teenagers are now at greatest risk. Teens have a
death rate twice that of younger children and account for half of all child pedestrian deaths.

Top Tips:

  1. Teach kids at an early age to look left, right and left again before crossing the street. Then remind them to continue looking until safely across.

  2. Teach kids to put phones, headphones and devices down when crossing the street. It is particularly important to reinforce this message with teenagers.

  3. It’s always best to walk on sidewalks or paths and cross at street corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.

  4. Children under 10 need to cross the street with an adult. Every child is different, but developmentally, most kids are unable to judge the speed and distance of oncoming cars until age 10.

  5. Be a good role model. Set a good example

Getting to School Safely

Here are smart tips on how to get children to and from school safely, whether they walk, ride the bus, carpool or bike.

For more general information about kids safety visit: safekids.org