Spring Break Bike Riding

What are your plans for spring break? Maybe a family camping trip to nearby Stub Stewart State Park, or a day trip over the Wilson River Highway to the Tillamook Cheese Factory is in store for you this year; but what if you can't get away? Forest Grove Schools will be out starting Thursday of this week and spring break will continue until school resumes on Monday, March 29th. During that time we expect to see more and more kids on their bicycles riding to destinations all over the community. Parents, before your kids hit the bike lanes help them out and talk to them about bike safety.

Perhaps the most important life saving tool your kids can wear is a properly fitting bike helmet. This video from Safe Kids USA will help you understand how to ensure that their head is protected from injury. We have responded to dozens of bicycle crashes in the last few years and these helmets really do save lives as well as prevent serious injuries.

A bike helmet only helps in a crash, so what else can you do to make sure that the crash doesn't happen in the first place? Start by checking out the bike, are the tires inflated properly? What about reflectors, are they visible on all sides of the bicycle? If not reflective stickers can be found at local bicycle shops to help make the bike more visible at night or in low light. Finally take a second and make sure that all of the moving parts are in good condition. The chain is lubricated, the brakes actually will stop the bicycle, and all of the nuts and bolts are still tight.

Lastly talk to your kids, know where they are riding, who they are riding with and when they will be expected to return. Have a conversation with them about the rules of the road and be sure they understand where they can and can't ride their bicycles. If you have areas where you don't want them to ride (like busy streets, rural roads, etc.) explain to them why. Kids will be kids, most of us (especially the boys) tried all kinds of crazy stunts with our bikes in our youth and we would be foolish parents to expect that our kids wouldn't try and do the same things. At the same time taking a few minutes to check out those bikes that have been sitting in the garage all winter, and having a simple chat can make a difference preventing an accident or decreasing the chance of injury if an accident does occur.

So whether your travelling or staying home next week from all of us at FGF&R, have a safe spring break.