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RE: Bike Helmet Issue - 5/14/2008 10:57:37 AM
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Mrs.X
Posts: 2736
Joined: 7/7/2005
From: Newberg, OR
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quote:
ORIGINAL: stellaluna
quote:
ORIGINAL: agapetos
Giving a child a helmet and saying 'wear it' isn't enough ~ you need to teach them to be alert to what is going on around them at all times.
I wanted to make sure people saw this. I belong to a cycling forum and this has been a topic of discussion many times. In fact, it isn't enough to teach your kid to balance on a bicycle and send them off. Parents really should be riding with their 5, 6, 7-year-olds, in the street, in their neighborhoods, showing them how to navigate on a bicycle. That includes watching for drivers, local rules about riding, when it is safe to ride on the sidewalk and when it isn't, etc. Most parents don't ride with their kids at all. (Most parents don't ride at all.) Doing so will make your child a skilled cyclist by the time they're old enough for you to consider letting them out on their own. Without good training, they are no more skilled or safe at 12 than they are at 6.
This is so true! I can't agree more.
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RE: Bike Helmet Issue - 5/14/2008 3:27:14 PM
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his_chosen
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Where to ride--we live on a dead end street with a church next door. There are about a dozen kids (all boys!) that ride up and down the street and sidewalk and especially in the (unused execpt for Sunday) parking lot. Although most neighbors know to watch for kids, the kids are taught to watch for traffic.
I also take the kids for rides on the bike path. This is a "step up". The younger ones will ride while I run, and I can work with them on riding a straight line, staying to the right, calling moves (passing left), etc. The older ones and I do rides together.
I take the kids for "Icecream" rides. We drive part way, then ride on back country roads. Again, it's all about teaching them the rules of the road and how to ride in a group. Last fall the family did an organied bike tour. Ds1 and I did the 100m. Dh was going to do the 32m with ds2, ds3 and ds4. Early on ds4 decided he didn't want to do it, so dh and ds4 turned around competing only 18m. Ds2 and ds3 continued on, completing 32m. Although dh was not to leave minors by themselves, I was not upset knowing that ds2 and ds3 had the sense to finish out the ride safely.
Oh, and as far as "good riders" and "safe when not on the road", ds1 and I went for a ride yesterday to shake out our legs after the 210m ride we did over the weekend. We were on the bike path. There is one point that is a bit tricky. You go up a hill make a sharp left turn, then onto a narrow bridge (narrow sidewalk). Ds1 and I were riding single file. I made the turn, only to be greeted by an oncoming bicycle. I stopped, but ds1 ran into me and went over. The other rider then ran into ds1. In the end, we all went down. Oh, and the other rider was a triathlete... Noone was hurt, but it just goes to show you that accidents can happen anywhere, even with good riders!
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RE: Bike Helmet Issue - 5/14/2008 10:25:47 PM
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zoebob
Posts: 8856
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: land of limbo
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I am confused. Is that 100 miles or meters. Meters doesn't sound right at all.
ETA: or was it supposed to be KM
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L-R: Ellies DD1, Ellies DD2, DS, Ellies DS3
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RE: Bike Helmet Issue - 5/15/2008 7:59:56 AM
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PrincessDonna
Posts: 10319
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: Cow country, Upstate NY
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I think it's miles.
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I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
~Psalm 57:9-10~
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RE: Bike Helmet Issue - 5/15/2008 9:29:20 PM
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his_chosen
Posts: 988
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Sorry, yes, that would be miles.
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You have a choice. You can throw in the towel or you can use it to wipe the sweat off your face.
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RE: Bike Helmet Issue - 5/19/2008 1:48:02 AM
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locomom
Posts: 233
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Having thought about this for a bit more time, I think the question for you is whether this is a safety issue you want to stand firm on still. Obviously I know what I think and why, and now you know too  . Although most kids don't wear helmets and say something to kids who do, I would still vote that they must obey the law. This is true where I live and we do have a helmet law for kids.
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RE: Bike Helmet Issue - 5/22/2008 12:44:18 PM
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edgibson
Posts: 167
Joined: 10/3/2005
From: Then: upper NY, Now: NC
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I am a motorcycle rider, and the arguments that I have read in this thread are all the same arguments for not wearing a motorcycle helmet.
I have T-boned a deer at 55mph and would not be typing this were it not for a helmet. I apply the same rules to my boys as I do to myself; your leg doesn't cross that seat until your helmet is on your head.
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RE: Bike Helmet Issue - 5/26/2008 2:31:29 AM
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whisper
Posts: 163
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I work in the Emergency Department of the largest hospital in my city - and I have seen bicycle helmets save lives. (It's really sad how many bicyclists are hit yearly)
I must say, though, that I am quite the hypocrite: I love all of the "no helmet, no bike" people and believe you are right, but my motto is "I hear of cars killing cyclists all the time, and have yet to hear of a cyclist killing a pedestrian - so I'm riding on the sidewalk." I make sure I use my bell and stay out of the way of pedestrians, but my goodness the road scares me on a pedal bike!! I do this mostly with a helmet, except for things like job interviews or special occasions when I need my hair not to get smooshed. Vain, I know.
As this is in parenting (not a parent here, sorry!!), I'd suggest modelling good behaviour at the cost of a little comfort. Wear the helmets, encourage the kids to do so as well, and be sure that the helmet fits the child. If they grow - new helmet. A ill-fitted helmet can be at times a damage rather than a help in times of trouble.
I don't feel guilty about my riding on the sidewalk, though! 
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You can't make footprints in the sands of time if you're sitting on your bum. And who wants to make bumprints in the sands of time?
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RE: Bike Helmet Issue - 5/28/2008 4:50:35 PM
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Flutebomb
Posts: 8
Joined: 5/28/2008
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Hello, I haven't taken the time to read everybody's posts but I'd like to give a perspective from the point of view as a teenager. Growing up, my parents had the same rule, "Wear your helmet or don't ride at all." It wasn't a big deal to me but when I was old enough to ride my bike to school, some of my classmates would pick on me for wearing my helmet. I've even heard rumors that I was required to wear my helmet when I drove my car. I was always picked on by the "popular" kids until I graduated (Grew up in the same public school system).
If I was worried about being popular and what my classmates were saying about me, I probably would have taken my helmet off and fought my parents on the rule. I remember being called some mean things and being picked on for wearing the wrong clothes, not being good enough in sports, my grades not being good enough (teachers & parents), having "stupid" ideas for group projects, etc.
If your teens are experiencing what I'm imagining they might be experiencing, I can understand why they don't want to wear their helmets. You can and should put your foot down and make them continue to wear their helmets or take their bikes away, even if it means taking the tire off the bike so they won't ride it. Their safety on the road is far more important than their pride. I've fallen from my bike numerous times (over the 13 years I lived at home AND knew how to ride) that could have caused head injuries if I wasn't wearing my helmet. If you're looking to "keep the peace" and "choose your battle carefully" and believe this isn't a battle worth taking a stance against them on, I'd suggest a compromise. "Wear a helmet when you're not riding with your friends but you're allowed to take it off and hide it when they're around." Good Luck.
Jami
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