KANSAS
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
BILL GRAVES, GOVERNOR
Gary R. Mitchell, Secretary

April 30, 1999

Contact: Jan Stegelman, 785-296-1223

Safe Kids Cycle Smart

Kansas SAFE KIDS Coalition Offers Safety Tips for National Bike Month in May

Almost every child yearns for a bicycle during the summer, dreaming of new paths to triumph and trails to blaze. A bicycle can help a child search for new summer adventures or provide the transportation to keep in touch with school buddies. Unfortunately, with the increased use of bicycles comes anincrease in the number of bicycle injuries. Each year, more than 300 Kansas children are killed or injured in bicycle crashes. The majority of bicycle fatalities occur between May and August.

"Children ages 5-14 are at greatest risk for a bicycle-related injury," said Jan Stegelman of the Kansas SAFE KIDS Coalition. "Many injuries can be prevented if parents and children follow a few safety precautions and cycle smart."

In observance of National Bike Month in May, the Kansas SAFE KIDS Coalition offers these safe bicycling guidelines.

• Purchase an approved bicycle helmet for each child. Insist the helmet is worn correctly every time the child goes for a ride. Helmets have been shown to reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent and brain injury by as much as 88 percent. Only buy helmets that meet or exceed safety standards developed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Kansas SAFE KIDS Coalition offers a low-cost bicycle helmet program in most Kansas communities. Since the program's inception in 1993, more than 40,000 helmets have been distributed in over 90 Kansas communities.
• Children should not ride on the road without direct adult supervision until age 10. Plan a safe cycling route with children and ride it with them. A safe cycling route to school may not be the same as a safe walking route. Streets with a steady flow of fast-moving traffic are not appropriate for young cyclists with limited traffic experience.
• Do not ride at night. Children should not be allowed to ride after dark. The risk of sustaining an injury during non-daylight conditions (e.g., at dawn, dusk, or night) is nearly four times greater than during the daytime.
• Teach children safe bicycling behaviors. Emphasize the fact that a bicycle is a vehicle, not a toy. More than 80 percent of bicycle-related fatalities are associated with the bicyclist's behavior, including riding into a street without stopping, turning left or swerving into traffic that is coming from behind, running a stop sign, and riding against the flow of traffic. Check with local safety organizations to find out about bicycle safety days and rodeos, and have your child participate.

The Kansas SAFE KIDS Coalition, Inc. is a nonprofit group of 67 statewide organizations and businesses that have joined to protect Kansas children from unintentional injury -- the leading killer of Kansas kids. Local coalitions and chapters are located in Wichita, Johnson County, Lawrence, Salina, Barber County, Topeka, Ford County, Manhattan, Hutchinson, Pottawatomie County, Clay County, and Osage County. Kansas SAFE KIDS is part of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.

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