Bicycle Safety

It is with great sadness that each year, Greater Kansas City Metropolitan area fire departments respond to emergencies of children who are injured as a result of their lack of bicycle safety awareness. All of these injured children encounter temporary or permanent injury, which can be socially devastating. Injuries may change lives because they can result in financial hardship for parents due to the expenses associated with medical or physical therapy treatment, and other expenses during the healing process. For the child it can be equally devastating, especially when physical therapy is required, and/or a life long injury will be coped with.

Across the nation advocates of the "child's well being" routinely seek audiences to enlighten and send out a message of safety. It is with great effort and care that experts and the technological improvements educate and protect most children against accidents. Safety equipment such as bicycle helmets, do make a difference in the welfare and safety of loved ones.

Bicycles are meant to provide your children with hours of fun and personal growth. The Heart of America Metro Fire Chiefs Council and the men and women of Kansas City Metropolitan Fire Departments respond to many emergencies of where bicycles has adversely affected the lives of those riding and the fun at times has turned into disaster in the form of injury, or even in death. It is also noteworthy that Metropolitan fire/emergency medical staff respond to emergencies where protective equipment, when used properly, has reduced the scope of injury, or a child avoided long term injury because of a good message they received from some expert, or advocate who cared.

A few simple tips for good riding habits:

• Be sure the bike is in good mechanical condition.
• Invest in a helmet and other body style protection and research equipment fitting measurements, which are in accordance with the manufacturers instructions.
• Don't wear loose clothing to prevent entanglement in operating parts of the bike " Realize you are hard to see on the bike.
• Practice stopping at stop signs, and use hand signals when turning.
• Cross the streets by walking the bike.
• Choose a safe area for riding.
• Ride with the traffic flow and not against it.
• Never ride at dusk or night.
• On a warm day pick cool destinations for the long rides, and drink plenty of water .