Bike Safety

Many middle school students choose to ride bikes to school, and with heavy morning and afternoon traffic around the schools, it is important that students are made aware of ways to be safe when riding their bikes.  School Resource Officer, Aron Chrisman, talked to 5th and 6th grade students about the importance of bike safety on Thursday, September 5th and Friday, September 6th.  The presentation focused on basic bike safety, the rules of the road, and biking gear.  Below are are a few things that he highlighted:

Rules of the Road:

• Obey all traffic signs: Stop signs, yield signs, one way traffic, etc.
• Obey all traffic lights
• Go the same direction as the cars (Ride on the right hand side of the road)
• Pay attention and look for cars
• Use crosswalks and walk your bike across the road
• Signal when turning and always use left arm 
• straight out = left turn
• bent downward (upside down "L") = stop
• bent upward = right turn

Gear:

• Always wear a helmet
• Make sure that your helmet fits and that it sits level on your head.
• Make sure that your seat is at the right height (same level as the handlebars)
• Wear bright clothes so that you can be easily seen by drivers
• Make sure that your bike has reflectors
• Use a flashing light 

General Safety:

• Never wear headphones when riding
• Never share a seat with another person
• Never ride or allow others to ride on the handlebars
• When riding in a group, ride single file
• When passing, always pass on the left and yell "Left"
• Look behind you before changing lanes
• Use correct hand signals
• Ride on sidewalks when allowed
• When riding downtown, walk bike on the sidewalk.
• Never talk to strangers and notify an adult if a stranger talks to you.