With the onset of spring weather, more children will be riding their bikes on and off our neighborhood streets. As a proud sponsor of Star 101.5 FM’s “Bike for Kids” Davis Law Group is very interested in keeping children safe while they ride their bikes. The program gives away a free bicycle to one child each during the month of April and then each week during the months of May through September.
Parents should always teach their children to wear bicycle helmets while riding their bike. Children, especially those under the age of 12, should never ride their bikes on or near city streets after dark. Parents also need to teach their children the simple rules of bicycle riding:
1. Avoid riding on busy streets.
2. Never cross busy intersections while riding the bike, a child should dismount and walk the bike across the street in a crossing zone.
3. Teach children to understand and obey traffic control signals and signs, like the Stop and Yield signs.
4. Children should wear bright clothing so they are visible to motorists.
5. Teach children to assume a driver cannot see the child riding the bike, so the child should always make eye contact with the driver when approaching.
6. Try to locate a safe area for your child to ride, like a park or culdesac where there is no traffic.
Unfortunately, child bicycle accidents increase when the weather in Washington improves. That’s why parents need to be diligent on teaching their children safe habits while riding.
Davis Law Group founder and Seattle attorney Chris Davis has published a book “Little Kids, Big Accidents” that gives valuable information on child injury accidents and how to prevent them. The book also is an important resource for parents who want more information about the insurance claims process and how the legal process for child injury claims works.
on Sep 14th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Thanks for the great post. i found it a great read and hope you keep posting articles as interesting as this. thanks and keep up the good work