Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Presentations:
- These presentations are designed for school-aged children and teach young riders about basic bike and pedestrian safety. A "melon drop" demonstration is conducted to emphasize the importance of proper helmet use. Helmet fittings are also available.
Cycling Skills Clinics:
Cycling Skills Clinics are designed to be a fun educational activity for children of varying levels of bicycle riding experience and serves to:
- Educate: increase knowledge about traffic safety and bicycling
- Train: transfer the knowledge to the practice of skills and decision-making while riding a bicycle
- Motivate: energize and excite participants to want to learn more and to engage in bicycling
The clinic consists of a series of stations that are designed to teach the participants the basics of traffic safety when bicycling as well as safe bike handling skills.
Be a Smart Bicyclist!
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Always wear a bicycle helmet. Helmets can reduce the risk of head and brain injury by 85%.
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Wear white or bright clothing so you can be seen. Avoid loose clothes, drawstrings and backpacks with straps that can get caught in the bike. Wear retro-reflective materials at dawn, dusk and in bad weather.
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Always stop, look left, right, then left again before crossing or entering a path, driveway, sidewalk or road and continue looking as you cross.
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Obey all traffic signs and signals. Remember a bicycle is just like a car and needs to follow all of the same rules of the road.
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Ride your bicycle on the RIGHT side of the road with traffic. Ride in a straight line and always use hand signals.
Be a Smart Pedestrian!
Did you know that 300 pedestrians are killed annually across New York State? In Broome County, 67 pedestrians were injured and 3 were killed in 2018.
Pedestrians should follow the "Rules of the Road"
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Use the sidewalk whenever they are safely available.
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When sidewalks are unavailable, pedestrians must walk facing traffic as far to the LEFT as possible.
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Obey traffic signals and/or traffic officers.
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At crosswalks where there isn't a traffic control signal or officer, pedestrians have the right-of-way to all vehicles.
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Regardless of the right-of-way, the driver is required by law to take great care to avoid "hitting" pedestrians.
Top Tips for Kids!
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Be sure to look left, right then left again before crossing the street.
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Put phones, headphones and devices down when crossing the street.
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Children under 10 need to cross the street with an adult. Most kids are unable to judge speed and distance of oncoming cars until age 10.
Resources:
So Your Child Wants a Bike - AAA Brochure
Bike and Wheeled Sport Safety - NYS Governor's Traffic Safety Committee
Pedestrian Safety - NYS Governor's Traffic Safety Committee
Walking Safety Tips - Safe Kids Worldwide
