The number of Americans bicycling to work or to school is growing rapidly. The National Household Travel Survey showed that the number of trips made by bicycle in the U.S. more than doubled from 1.7 billion in 2001 to 4 billion in 2009.
May is National Bike Month, sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists and celebrated in communities from coast to coast. Established in 1956, National Bike Month is a chance to showcase the many benefits of bicycling — and encourage more folks to giving biking a try.Whether it's saving you some money at the gas pump or improving your health through exercise, biking can be very beneficial.
Don't miss out on Bike to School Day, which will be celebrated on May 7 as part of National Bike Month.
Raising awareness about bike safety is another important element of National Bike Month. Here are some tips for parents to share with their children.
- We have a simple saying: "Use your head, wear a helmet." It is the single most effective safety device available to reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes. Click on the video below to see how to fit your child's helmet in three steps.
- Tell your kids to ride on the right side of the road, with traffic, not against it. Stay as far to the right as possible. Use appropriate hand signals and respect traffic signals, stopping at all stop signs and stoplights.
- Teach your kids to make eye contact with drivers. Bikers should make sure drivers are paying attention and are going to stop before they cross the street.
- When riding at dusk, dawn or in the evening, be bright and use lights – and make sure your bike has reflectors as well. It's also smart to wear clothes and accessories that have retro-reflective materials to improve biker visibility to motorists.
- Actively supervise children until you're comfortable that they are responsible to ride on their own.
Bike to School Day will be celebrated on May 7 in hundreds of communities across the United States as part of National Bike Month. - See more at: http://www.safekids.org/blog-post/gearing-national-bike-month#sthash.MG8Ba8aY.dpuf
Thanks for the shout out to bike month! However, by only putting pictures of kids riding, you're actually reinforcing the idea that bicycles are only a toy for children instead of a fabulous alternative transportation for all ages.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion. That's a good point. We've added a photo to help balance out the images.
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