The day you buy your child his first “big kid’s” bike. The day you remove the training wheels and watch him pedal away on his own. The day he heads to his friend’s house without asking you for a ride. These are milestones in both of your lives. So much more than a toy, a bicycle represents independence for your children.
Unfortunately, bicycles are more than a toy in another sense, too: they are associated with more childhood injuries than any consumer product except the automobile. In 2001, 134 children ages 14 and under died in bicycle-related crashes and in 2002, more nearly 288,900 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries.
That’s why it’s so important to teach your kids bike safety as they enjoy their increased independence. You can greatly reduce your children’s risk of injury and death simply by setting some limits. A single rule – wear a helmet – can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent. Explore the links below to learn more.
Nearly half of bike-related hospitalizations are diagnosed as traumatic brain injury. Read more in A National Study of Traumatic Brain Injury and Wheel-Related Sports (May 2002)
To learn more about bicycle injury read A Report to the Nation: Trends in Unintentional Childhood Injury Mortality, 1987-2000 (May 2003).
To purchase educational materials about bike safety, check out our Resource Catalog (off-site link)
