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Keeping Kids Safe
Protecting Preteens From Injury
By Gwen Morrison
As our children grow, we allow them more and more freedom. It's all a part of becoming independent. But are we preparing our preteens for all the responsibility that goes along with this freedom?
As parents we know there comes a time when we must let go just a little and allow our kids to partake in various activities on their own. It can be easy to acquire a false sense of security in regards to the safety of our preteens. Haven't we already spent the last 10 years going over and over the safety rules? Unfortunately, many preteens may not know how to follow these rules once they are out in the world exploring their new liberation.
"This is the perfect age to begin introducing traffic safety to a young rider," says Preston Tyree, education director for the Texas Bicycle Coalition in Austin, Texas. "They are physically and developmentally capable of handling a bike and understanding the complexity of traffic situations."
At this age, kids are usually riding on busy roads outside the neighborhood, and they need to know the rules of the road. "Approach this discussion as the 'first driver's ed,'" says Tyree. "Everything a bicycle rider learns is exactly what a motor vehicle driver needs to know. We will have better drivers and drivers who are more aware of cyclists."
The single most important thing that parents can stress to their preteen when talking to them about bicycle safety is to wear a helmet. This single rule, according to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 88 percent. As kids get older, they often become reluctant to wear helmets, which increases their risk factor dramatically for injury or even death related to a crash. They feel it doesn't look "cool" to wear the helmet. As a parent, it's your job to give them all the information and stress to them that if they ride, they wear a helmet.
