10 Lil' Wheel Tips
Road Rules
March 11, 1998

Cycling and skateboarding are two of the most popular activities for kids. Whether they watch the Tour de France and dream of someday wearing the coveted yellow jersey or pedal along the dirt roads and back alleys of their town, they love bicycles. And when they watch from as Venice Beach skateboard daredevils brazenly defy the laws of physics and decorum, they may also be enamored of the sport of skateboarding.

It's no fun, though, when that knee gets skinned or those bones get broken. How best to avoid these inconveniences and disasters? Follow the following rules of the road...

1. Wear a helmet. As you know if you've taken our Bicycle Safety Quiz, the overwhelming majority of serious injuries to cyclists are head injuries. Wearing an ANSI-approved (or Snell Memorial Foundation-approved) helmet is the first and foremost issue for cyclists' safety. You can also check for the ASTM rating, which is the most stringent, and which encompasses both the Snell and the ANSI ratings.

Start the kids out riding around the cul-de-sac on their tricycles wearing helmets. If it's uncomfortable for the little shaver, make it comfortable. The strap should have a clasp that is easy to remove and engage so that it's not a hassle either for you or for your child to put it on. Develop the helmet habit early.

2. Make sure the bike is the right size. Sometimes parents buy their child a bike that is too big, the idea being, "He'll grow into it." This is dangerous. The child needs to be able to get on and off the bike with ease, and to put that foot down safely and easily. He shouldn't have to strain to reach the pedals, either.

3. Keep the bicycle well maintained. Check the brakes. Make sure there's the right amount of clearance on each side. Test both front and back; check that the cables are working. Then make sure that you have the tires inflated to the proper air pressure. Then look at the chain; it shouldn't be so loose that it might fall off. Don't, by the way, use your fingers to check the chain -- use the heel of your foot, so you won't get those fingers caught in the sprockets. Check the quick release to make sure the tires won't fall off when you hit a bump. Finally, make sure the seat and handlebars are tight and that nothing is rattling.

4. Don't ride in the street until you're ready. Children under the age of 10 shouldn't ride their bikes in the street. This varies, of course, according to the child and the environment, but it's a good rule of thumb. Keep in mind that kids very often don't have a particular destination in mind -- they're just "circling the hive," or cruising around the neighborhood. If they see a friend across the street, they may just head over to them.

5. Ride with the traffic. It's against the law to ride facing the oncoming traffic. You want to ride as far as possible to the right, but without falling into that thorny gully. While you're riding, you must also be predictable. That's one of the keys to automobile driving, and it applies just as well to bike riding. A sudden swerve or stop is not something that another vehicle can predict.

6. Stop and look both ways before entering the street. The most frequent type of accident for young riders even has its own term -- it's called mid-block rideout. It occurs when a cyclist enters a street from an alley or from between parked cars, leaving the motorist too little time to react. So stop, look left, then right, then left, then enter the street.

7. Stop at all intersections, marked and unmarked. In urban areas, the number one cause of bicycle accidents is from the cyclist running a stop sign. The proper way to go through an intersection is to get off at the stop sign, look both ways, and walk the bike through the intersection.

8. Before turning, use hand signals and look in all directions. There are proper hand signals for left turn, right turn, and stopping. They should be learned and used; they're what communicate intentions to other drivers.

9. Never, ever wear headphones while riding a bike. If you can't hear, you can't hear. That truck. That little child. That barking dog. That siren.

10. Avoid night riding. If you do have to ride at night, make sure that the bike has reflectors and a light. A flashing LED light can be seen half a mile away. Most often, the accidents that do occur happen at night are when the driver of a car can't see the cyclist until it's too late. It's also a very good idea to wear reflective clothing or material on your ankles, wrists, back, and helmet. And be sure to be extra alert.

-- David Wolpe (TMF Dbunk)