Safe Ready To Roll - Wheels Safety
Bicycles are more than a toy in another sense, too: they are associated with more childhood injuries than any consumer product except the automobile. Approximately 140 children are killed as bicyclists each year; children sustain more than 275,000 nonfatal bicycle injuries each year. In addition, children between the ages of 0-14 years sustain an estimated 38,155 roller skating injuries and 61,000 injuries to children involving skateboards.
That's why it's so important to teach your kids bike safety as they enjoy their increased independence. You can greatly reduce your children's risk of injury and death simply by setting some limits. A single rule – wear a helmet – can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent.
Nearly half of bike-related hospitalizations are diagnosed as traumatic brain injury.
Kids, especially 11- to 14-year-olds, are sometimes reluctant to wear helmets. They may insist they're good riders who don't need helmets anymore, complain that helmets are uncomfortable, or – an old favorite – point out that none of their friends wear them. Your child may be especially mature for her age; she may be a particularly skilled rider; or it just might feel easier to give in. But we urge you to resist that temptation. Requiring your children to wear a helmet every time, everywhere they go, is the best thing you can do to protect them.
If your child rides a bike, then she probably also enjoys skateboards, scooters or inline skates! Make sure that whenever she "wheels" around, she's wearing the right gear.
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Phone: 417-820-6671