Valley Parents Urged to Teach Children about Bike Safety
With schools opening soon, parents are urged to instill bike safety into their kids (AZ Central 08/15/2011). Bike accidents have become a big threat to child safety for years that safety advocates continue to remind parents on their big role in preventing such accidents from happening.
According to AZ Central, there were 81 children rushed to Maricopa Medical Center, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, and Cardon Children's Medical Center because of bike accidents since 2009. One of the victims was a 9-year-old Apache Junction boy who survived an almost fatal accident in March after being hit by a Ford Explorer while riding his bike. The accident has left him “scratches, scars and some memory loss.”
There are a lot of ways parents can protect their kids against bike accidents. One of them is to encourage the use of helmets. Victims can easily acquire traumatic brain injuries when the head is left unprotected. However parents should make sure that their kids wear standard approved ones and so as not to sacrifice comfort, should fit snugly.
More importantly, kids should be well-aware of the basic bike-safety techniques. This includes being alert at all times of motorized vehicles, the intelligent use of traffic signals, and to use bike lanes if available. With proper training and knowledge, children’s lives are spared from these deadly accidents.
If your child has been the victim of a bicycle accident in the Arizona area and you would like to talk with a Phoenix bike accident lawyer, call us at (602) 457-6222 for a free consultation.
