Bicycle safety is essential to prevent accidents and injuries for kids. In Nevada, a Las Vegas bike accident attorney often sees kids with serious injuries including fractures and broken bones, facial cuts and abrasions, and head trauma as a result of bicycle accidents.
According to statistics, hundreds of thousands of children are seriously injured each year in bicycle accidents, and more than 600 children die from their injuries. Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that bicycle-related injuries sent approximately 515,000 people to U.S. hospital emergency rooms in 2010, and 300,000 of those were children. Injury reports show that approximately 38 percent of hospitalizations from bike accidents include some type of head trauma or brain injury.
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Bicycle Safety Tips
Children, especially under the age of 10, are very susceptible to bicycle accidents and injuries, because their bones are still growing and their brains are still developing. When riding a bike, children should be protected at all times from accidents and injuries by following important bicycle safety tips:
- Wear a Helmet – According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), wearing a helmet is the single most effective way to prevent head injuries from a bicycle crash. A Las Vegas bike accident attorney sees serious head injuries, even fatalities, in young children who were not wearing helmets.
- Make Sure Helmets Fit Properly – Bicycle helmets should sit low on the forehead, approximately two finger widths above the eyebrows. The chinstrap should be snug, but not too tight, with one to two fingers fitting between the chin and the strap. According to NHTSA, properly fitted helmets can reduce the risk of head and brain injury by up to 88 percent.
- Stay Visible – Children should wear bright or fluorescent clothing when riding a bike, so they are more visible. For additional safety, a child’s bicycle should be equipped with a white front reflector and a red rear reflector, along with reflectors on the tires. Children should not be allowed to ride at night without careful adult supervision.
According to Nevada bicycle safety laws, the safest place to ride is on the street. Cyclists are expected to follow the same rules of the road as motorists and ride in the same direction as traffic. However, children under the age of 10, should ride on the sidewalk, since they are not mature enough to make safe decisions regarding riding in the street.
