5 Tips for Bicycle Safety & Summer Fun

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

JC Jones MA RN

One of the mother's who shares my commute told me her family's Fourth of July weekend was ruined by an unfortunate accident. Her 13 year old was riding her bicycle - in flip flops - and fell into a picket fence, catching her toe in one of the wooden slats and breaking off the bone.

The toe had to be surgically reattached and the daughter spent the weekend with her leg elevated and on pain meds. There goes the rest of the summer - no sailing, no soccer, no biking, no hiking.

• Here are some safety tips for bicycle safety this summer:
1. Use helmets and proper safety gear including protective foot wear.
   
2. Make sure the bike is equipped with reflectors and wear reflective patches on clothing in low light.
3. Be aware of your surroundings and changing terrain.
4. Bicyclists are subject to the same laws as motorists. Yield right of way and obey traffic signals.
5. Bicycle safety is not just for kids - 70% of bike fatalities are adults and 90% of those are males. Most deaths occur in the summer months between 3 - 9 PM.
   

Thank you mindcaster's photostream for use of photo City Cycle Chic. What is wrong with this picture?

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