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 as well as how to handle a bicycle in a safe and responsible way.
Parents can teach their children to be safe cyclists by going out with them and leading by example.
Cycling is good for children’s health and co-ordination. It also teaches them basic driving skills and helps develop patience and discipline.
Although many parents and children are tempted to think of sidewalks as safe places for children to ride, it is illegal in South Africa to cycle on the sidewalk, unless there is a specific cycle path.
Cycling on the wrong side of the road is not only illegal, but it is also a leading contributor in car-bike crashes.
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.
When cycling with a child in order to supervise them, an ideal riding position is slightly behind and to the right of the child, with the child setting the pace.
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.
The Pedal Power Association (PPA) of South Africa offers helpful information which parents should share with their children from an early age:
- You must always wear a helmet
- You must ride in single file
- You may not hold onto any other vehicles
- You may not deliberately swerve from side to side
- You may not carry another person or object which prevents you from seeing where you are going and stops you from having complete control over your bicycle
- If you are riding on a public road where there is a bicycle lane, you must use that lane
- You may ride on any road, except on a freeway or a road closed to cycling
- Obey all traffic laws, including stopping at red traffic lights and all stop streets. Proceed through intersections only when it is safe to do so
It is important for everyone to check their bicycles before setting out as you do not want to break down in the middle of a busy road, or far from help.
Check the bikes together and set an example to your children.
Checklist before your bike ride:
- Are the tyres free of holes, cuts or any embedded objects?
- Are the wheels pumped hard enough?
- Are the wheels tightly secured?
- Check that both the brakes are working?
- Are the gears working as they should?
- Is the chain clean and well oiled?
- Is the handlebar and saddle firmly fixed?
- Are there any cracks in the frames or forks?
- Do you have a saddle bag, with emergency spares such as a spare tube, a patch kit and tyre levers, attached to the bicycle.
- Do you have lights and reflectors on the bicycle (red at the back, white at the front)
Long bike rides can be tiring or tedious for children so it’s useful to start small and break up longer trips with stops every 20 minutes or so.
Planning a round trip to a destination of interest, such as an ice cream shop, restaurant, or park, works especially well.
The PPA has made significant progress in promoting safe cycling but every death or incident reminds us it’s still not enough.
The PPA encourages people to support their ‘Stay Wider of the Rider’ campaign and to raise awareness to keep cyclists safe on our roads.
