stormdog: (Kira)
MeghanIsMe ([personal profile] stormdog) wrote2015-04-15 04:44 pm
Entry tags:

Bike Safety, or Don't Let Your Kids Scare me Like That, Please.

Part of my route home is a steep (for a road) climb that curves right up a hill. Halfway up, I saw a young girl, maybe seven or eight, on a little bike coming toward me in my lane. I wanted to say something about what she was doing being very dangerous, but even if there was time to say something as our two bikes passed, I have doubts about whether people listen to critical comments about personal activities from people they don't know.

Just after she swung into the left lane to go around me, I heard a quick scream and looked back to see that a car was in her lane coming around the curve in the road.

There was no crash. I didn't see exactly what happened, but they avoided each other. But I want to take a moment to emphasize some bike safety things, both for people who bike and parents of little people who bike.

*Never ride in the opposite direction of traffic. It's far more dangerous than riding with.
*Never ride without a helmet. That little girl had no safety gear, and that makes me cringe. I ride thousands of miles a year and I literally won't ride to the corner store without a helmet.
*Don't let your kids do these things either. The daughter of someone at work just had a minor accident on her bike that sent her flying. It can happen anytime, and your brain is important. Take care of it.