Bicycle & Helmet Safety
Every year, the Darien-Woodridge Fire Protection District
responds to numerous car/bicycle incidents.
When a bicycle and a motor vehicle crash, the bicyclist almost always
gets hurt. Most bicycle injury
deaths involve young children. It
is important to know some simple "rules of the road" to help keep
bicycling safe and fun!
Road Safety
·
Children under
age 8 should always be supervised and not allowed to ride on the street.
They should always ride on the sidewalk.
·
Until riding
skills are developed, both feet should be flat on the ground while sitting on
the bicycle seat.
·
Always walk a
bicycle in the crosswalk when it is safe to cross.
·
Stop before
entering the road or a driveway, look left, look right and left again for moving
cars. Look to the front and to the
rear before entering the intersection.
·
Always ride
with the flow of traffic on the far right side of the street.
·
Know and obey
all traffic signs and signals.
·
Bicycles with
one seat and one handlebar are made for one rider.
DO NOT ride on handlebars or pegs.
Off Road Safety
·
Be aware of
rocks, sticks, broken glass, and other hazards when riding on unpaved surfaces.
·
Always ride
with a buddy and tell someone where you will be riding and when you will return.
Helmet
Information
Bicycle helmets are not optional equipment.
Universal use of bike helmets by children ages 4 to 15 would prevent an
estimated 135 to 155 deaths annually.
Helmets
have been shown in studies to reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent and
the risk of brain injury by 90 percent. Nationally,
only 15 percent of children bicyclists used bicycle helmets.
·
A helmet should
be approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the American
Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), The Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) or Snell.
· Helmets manufactured after March 1999 must meet new CPSC standards.
How
to Wear a Helmet
·
When purchasing
a new helmet, be sure that it has 2 sets of sizing pads: a thin set and a thick
set.
·
While wearing
the helmet without the straps secured, shake your head from side to side.
The helmet should be snug with very little movement.
If there is too much movement, replace the sponge pads inside with
thicker pads. If there is still too much movement, the helmet is too big.
·
Front and back
straps should meet in a V shape just below the ear.
·
All straps
should be equally tight when the chinstrap is buckled.
·
Chinstrap must
be snug, allowing only one finger between the chin and the chinstrap when the
mouth is closed.
·
Children
should be able to open their mouth and feel the helmet press firmly against the
top of their head.
·
Front of the
helmet should always cover the forehead just above the eyebrow and not interfere
with vision.
·
If the helmet
is not sized correctly with the sizing pads, a tight chinstrap will not prevent
it from moving to an incorrect position while riding.
·
Buy a new helmet. Helmets
that have suffered even a single fall or have been exposed to heat for a long
time (i.e., kept in the trunk of a car) lose the cohesion that keeps the helmet
intact during impact.
·
Set an example. Kids follow the actions of their parents.
If you wear a helmet, the kids will too!