Knowing your child’s abilities on their bike is the key to preventing bike accident injuries. Though of course each child is different, there are some general guidelines about the abilities of children at different ages.
Ages 1 to 5
- Most children ages 5 and under are not ready to ride a bike. You can start teaching them about bike safety while they are passengers on your bike, however.
- Teach preschool cyclists how bicycles are not the same as a toy car or a tricycle. Bicycles are not toys.
- Teach them to stay away from the street, and to keep an eye out for things that might hurt them.
- Make sure they wear a helmet at all times, and they understand why helmets are so important.
- Familiarize them with different parts of the bike and helmet, and how to use the brakes to slow and stop.
Ages 5 to 8
- Many children learn to ride a bike during this time, and they should learn safe riding skills at the same time.
- Children at this age should not ride unsupervised.
- The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children in this age group ride only on the sidewalk, assuming that riding on the sidewalk is legal in your community. Make sure that your children learns to alert pedestrians to their presence, and understand that being on the sidewalk does not mean they are free from danger. They should still watch for cars in driveways, and always walk their bikes across intersections.
- Make sure your child develops riding skills like avoiding obstacles in the road and riding in the straight line while looking behind.
- Teach them about selecting a good route. If they ride their bike to school, you should ride or walk with them until you are confident they can do it on their own.
- Even if they are riding on the sidewalk, children should always ride in the direction of traffic, and learn to obey traffic signs and signals.
- Teach them how to communicate with others on the road with hand signals and eye contact, and to look out for signs from others.
- Familiarize them with all the equipment on the bike, and the importance of their helmet.
Ages 9 to 12
- There is no set age for determining whether a child is ready to ride on the road. However, most children in this age group have developed the skills to ride on arterial roads. Beginner cyclists, no matter their age, should ride with supervision.
- Before letting your child ride on their own, think about their behavior out of traffic. Are they able to control their impulses? Do they take risks? Do they have trouble paying attention? Their behavior on the road will likely echo their behavior off the road.
- Teach them about advanced riding skills such as selecting gears and road positioning.
- Emphasize the importance of wearing a helmet. Many preteens and teens will begin to think helmets are uncool. See below for tips on how to get around this dangerous notion.
Ages 13-17
- Teen cyclists have much more independence. Stress that this means that they also have more responsibility as well.
- Teens should continue to work on riding skills like panic stops and riding in the winter.
- Teach them about common collision types and how to avoid them.
- Everyone should avoid riding at night. If they must, teach them to use proper lights on their bike, along with reflective clothing.