Parents can teach their children to be safe cyclists by going out with them and leading by example.<\/p>\n
South African roads are public spaces and cyclists have the right to ride their bicycles on them, but riding a bicycle on public roads is a huge responsibility and it is vital that children are made aware of the rules of the road (visit www.pedalpower.org.za for the rules).<\/p>
They must also know how to handle a bicycle in a safe and responsible way.<\/p>\n
Learning to cycle is a rite of passage for many children and has the added benefits of health and fitness.<\/p>
Cycling can be one way your child gets enough exercise and it makes for a good day’s entertainment for the whole family.<\/p>\n
Cycling represents fun, freedom and fresh air, everything that’s good about being a child.<\/p>\n
It’s also an easy way to burn calories and to learn coordination.<\/p>\n
Teaching children to travel effectively by bicycle as they get older develops patience, discipline, self-reliance and personal responsibility.<\/p>\n
Learning to cycle also teaches essential driving skills that will make them safer and more courteous motorists later in life.<\/p>\n
Like swimming and motoring, the safety of cycling is determined primarily by behaviour, education and skills development.<\/p>\n
An important consideration for cycling with children is matching route selection and adult supervision to the developmental and skill levels of the child.<\/p>\n
“Riding with children affords a parent the opportunity to supervise their cycling, especially at edge locations such as street crossings.<\/p>\n
“Parents should model consistent behaviour by stopping and looking both ways before proceeding, and invite the child to assist in assessment of traffic conditions,” said Karin Pohl, general manager of the Pedal Power Association.<\/p>\n
Although many parents and children are tempted to think of sidewalks as safe places for children to ride, traveling any distance on a pavement inevitably results in crossing intersections and driveways or crossing roadways mid-block, this is illegal in South Africa unless there is a specific cycle path on the pavement.<\/p>\n
Such movements are associated with the most common collision types for child cyclists, in part because of children’s errors, but also because motorists are less likely to notice bicyclists entering their path from pavement locations when they are focused on traffic approaching in the roadway.<\/p>\n
A leading contributor to car-bike crashes is cycling on the wrong side of the road, which is also illegal in South Africa.<\/p>\n
At intersections, where the vast majority of car-bike collisions happen, other drivers aren’t expecting or looking for traffic approaching from the “wrong” direction.<\/p>\n
When riding with a child to supervise their bicycling, an ideal riding position is slightly behind and to the right of the child, with the child setting the pace.<\/p>\n
This position allows the parent or instructor to watch and communicate with the child, while also diverting overtaking traffic to pass at a larger distance from the child.<\/p>\n
Children between the ages of seven and ten can develop the necessary traffic and handling skills to operate safely on low speed, low traffic two-lane residential streets.<\/p>\n
By their early teens, they can develop the skills to handle multiple lane streets.<\/p>\n
“Although some cyclists may prefer more direct, larger roads depending on their travel objectives, low traffic streets and dedicated cycle paths are often the most enjoyable places to ride for a wide variety of cyclists,” said Pohl.<\/p>\n
The Pedal Power Association of South Africa offers helpful information that parents should share with their children from an early age:<\/p>\n
It is important for everyone to check their bicycles before setting out – you do not want to break down in the middle of a busy road, or far from help.<\/p>\n
Check the bikes together and set an example for your children.<\/p>\n
Checklist before your bike ride:<\/strong><\/p>\n Long bike rides can be tiring or tedious for children; it’s useful to start small and break up longer trips with stops every 20 minutes or so.<\/p>\n Planning a round trip to a destination of interest such as an ice cream shop, restaurant, or park works especially well.<\/p>\n\n
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