Keeping cyclists safe through education
and training
This resource guide highlights just
a few of the many tools available for bicycle safety education programs.
Other resources are available on the web, through organizations such as those
which comprise the National Bicycle Safety Network and local government agencies
and businesses.
Bicycle Safety Education Resource Center
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Resource Center provides bicycle
safety education information for the following groups: Preschool (under age
5), Beginner (ages 5-8), Young (Ages 9-12), Teenage (13+), Adult, Senior,
Motorists, and Adults Teaching Children. The Resource Center consists of
three parts. The first part is a database, which you can search for specific
training materials for your intended audience. In addition, you can submit
a program for possible inclusion in the database. The second part is a Database
Guide that identifies the training needs of the eight different audiences
identified above. The third part is a Good Practices Guide that will guide
you through the process of designing your own program.
Resources
FHWA Good Practices Guide for Bicycle Safety Education, Resource Database,
and information on teaching bike safety to kids (ages 1-4, 5-8, 9-12, 13-17),
adults, seniors, and motorists.
Contact
www.bicyclinginfo.org
or 919.962.2203. Resource Center:
http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/ee/fhwa.html;
Education Center:
http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/ee/education.htm.
Bicycling Street Smarts
Bicycling Street Smarts is an updated and revised edition of Street Smarts,
originally published between 1988 and 2000 by Rodale Inc.
This compact booklet describes the nuts and bolts of safe and legal on-road
cycling including lane positioning, navigating intersections, expert control
of brakes and steering, emergency maneuvers, and dealing with difficult
situations. By learning correct on-road riding techniques and mastering control
of the bicycle, any cyclist from beginner to expert will enjoy increased
confidence and safety while riding any road.
Resources
Bicycling Street Smarts is now available in state-specific editions for the
following states: Arizona (available through ADOT,
www.azbikeped.org),
Florida (available through Florida Bicycle Assn,
www.floridabicycle.org),
Ohio (available through ODOT,
www.dot.state.oh.us/bike),
and Pennsylvania (available through PennDOT, 717-783-8444).
Contact
Rubel BikeMaps, (617) 776-6567,
www.bikemaps.com, or
info@bikemaps.com. Price varies with
quantity purchased.
Bike Rodeo Kit
To help children learn bicycle safety, the City of Fort Collins
SmartTripsTM Office has developed a detailed "Bike Rodeo Kit",
and is making it available free of charge to local organizations, schools,
service clubs and individuals in the Fort Collins area. If you are outside
of the Fort Collins area, contact the SmartTripsTM Office to find
out how to create your own Bike Rodeo Kit.
This self-contained kit is designed so anyone can easily conduct a successful
bicycle rodeo. It is complete with instructions, diagrams, visual aids, riding
obstacles, information, and other assorted materials. All materials are placed
in a handy container on wheels. It's easy to use, and the exercises can be
adapted for any size group.
Contact
SmartTripsTM Office, 970- 224-6126 or
http://www.ci.fort-collins.co.us/bicycling/bike-rodeo.php.
Bike Safe, Bike Smart!
Work with others in your community to promote helmet use. Bike helmets can
reduce the risk of brain injury by 85% and are one of the simplest and most
effective ways to reduce biking injuries in your community.
Provide education through events like bike rodeos, where bikers can learn
basic skills and have fun while they're doing it! Bike rodeos are an opportunity
for cooperation among a variety of community partners, including schools,
youth groups businesses, and safety organizations.
Resources
Bike Safe, Bike Smart! brochure; Bike Safety, Bike Helmet, and
Bike to School Fact Sheets; Bike Rodeo Planning Guide (sample
course, bike inspection checklist, bike skills test, and nine skills stations)
information for parents (preventing injuries, teaching basic traffic safety
to kids and bike safety for babies and toddlers) and games for kids (bicycle
word find, bike safety quiz, and bike safety tips).
Contact
Minnesota Safety Council, 651-291-9150,
msc@mnsafetycouncil.org, or
http://www.mnsafetycouncil.org/bicycle/programs/index.htm.
Disney Educational Productions
Resources
Bike Safety with Bill Nye the Science Guy - Take a ride with Bill
Nye the Science Guy and learn about bicycle safety. But before you start
your wheels in motion, remember to put on your helmet and do the "pre-ride
check." From hand signals and rules of the road to valuable tips from
professional cyclists, this is a fun way to learn about a serious subject.
VHS, 1996, 16 minutes, $59.95. Disney Safety Hits Vol I: Bike Safety with
Bill Neye the Science Guy and I'm No Fool on Wheels Classroom
Edition (DVD) - Instill a heads-up attitude all year long with this new
DVD featuring two popular safety classics. Who better to get kids interested
in bike safety basics than the way cool science guy? Younger children will
delight in learning about safety procedures and the appropriate equipment
to use when skateboarding, bicycling, and roller-skating from the beloved
Pinocchio. Students will learn why it's important to always wear an approved
safety helmet, stay visible to drivers, remain alert and aware of your
surroundings, and most importantly to follow the rules of the road.
Classroom Edition DVD Features include: scene selection, clips correlated
to activities in the Educator's Guide, printable Educator's Guide, web link
to additional Internet resources. DVD, 2004, 29 minutes, $59.95.
Contact
Disney Educational Products,
http://dep.disney.go.com/educational/index
(search on bicycle safety), (800) 295-5010.
Florida Traffic and Bicycle Safety Education Programs
Their mission is to administer a traffic and bicycle safety education program
through workshops and certificate programs for Florida elementary and middle
school teachers, community volunteers, law enforcement officers and recreation
leaders. Pilot projects, research, media awareness campaigns and the production
of documents and guidelines are also carried out as part of the program's
mission. Their goal is to reduce injuries to children from bicycle and pedestrian
crashes by providing them with the knowledge and skills needed to be competent
and safe in traffic.
Resources
Curriculum outlines, sample agendas, equipment lists, advertising flyers,
etc., for Safe Ways to School, pre-driver's ed, elementary and middle school,
and community programs.
Contact
Department of Urban & Regional Planning, University of Florida, 352-392-8192
or
http://www.dcp.ufl.edu/centers/trafficsafetyed/.
Guide to Bicycle Rodeos
Resources
Written by John Williams and Dan Burden, this comprehensive manual details
the steps to running an effective "Bicycle Rodeo" safety campaign. Includes
information on: balance and safety skills, accident causes & cures, resources
for safety campaigns, examples of successful projects. Sb. 50p; $5.00.
Contact
Adventure Cycling Association, 800-721-8719,
www.adventurecycling.org,
or
orders@adventurecycling.org.
How to Not Get Hit by Cars:
Important Lessons on Bicycle Safety
This page shows you real ways you can get hit and real ways to avoid them.
This is a far cry from normal bicycle safety guides, which usually tell you
little more than to wear your helmet and to follow the law. But consider
this for a moment: Wearing a helmet will do absolutely nothing to prevent
you from getting hit by a car! Sure, helmets might help you if you get hit,
and it's a good idea to wear one, but your #1 goal should be to avoid getting
hit in the first place. Plenty of cyclists are killed by cars even though
they were wearing helmets. Ironically, if they had ridden without helmets,
yet followed the guidelines listed below, they might still be alive today.
Don't confuse wearing a helmet with biking safely. An ounce of prevention
is worth a pound of cure. It's better to not get hit. That's what real bicycle
safety is about.
Resources
Diagrams of ten collision types, accompanied by steps to take to avoid them.
Includes versions for Brits and Aussies, and is translated into French, Spanish,
and Catalan.
Contact
www.bicyclesafe.com
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Bicycle Safety
Program
Through education, enforcement, outreach and legislation, NHTSA's bicycle
safety program goals are directed toward reducing bicycle injuries and
fatalities. Bicycling is encouraged as an alternate mode of transportation
to motor vehicle travel.
Resources
Fact Sheets: Traffic Safety Facts 2003 - Pedalcyclists, Traffic Safety
Facts 2003 - Children, Bikeability Checklist 2004, Bicycle Helmet Use Laws
- Fact Sheet, National Strategies for Advancing Bicycle Safety;
Downloadable Brochures: 10 Smart Routes to Bicycle Safety, Your Bicycle
Helmet, What's New about Bicycle Helmets;
Activities and Materials for Kids: Getting to School Safely: Community
Action Activities Guide, "Bike Safe. Bike Smart" Video (2004), Pedestrian
Safety Trail and Bike Tour, Walking and Biking Safety - Kindergarten to Grade
3, Walking and Biking Safety - Toddlers and Preschoolers, "Ride Smart: It's
Time to Start" Bicycle Safety Video (2002), and Resource Guides: Bicycle
Helmet Use Laws: Lessons Learned From Selected Sites, Safe Routes to School
- Practice & Promise, Safe Routes to School - Tool Kit, Bicycle Safety
Resource Guide (CD-ROM), Resource Guide on Laws Related to Pedestrian and
Bicycle Safety.
Contact
NHTSA, Paula Bawer, 202-366-2692 or
www.nhtsa.dot.gov (click
on Traffic Safety, then Bicycling). To access the Publications Catalog, visit
www.nhtsa.gov/people/outreach/media/catalog/Index.cfm
and select "Bicycle Safety" as the topic.
Share the Road
"Share the Road" was a grant-funded program. Funding was provided by the
California Office of Traffic Safety through the Business, Transportation,
& Housing Agency. The program was administered by the Kern County
Superintendent of Schools and managed by Program Specialist Ron Jones. The
funding cycle was from April 2000 to July 2002. Although the program has
ended, resources are still available online. The goals were to reduce bicyclists
killed and injured in traffic collisions; increase helmet compliance for
children under 18; and reduce pedestrians killed or injured in traffic
collisions.
Resources
Lesson plans and handouts, fact sheets, templates and suggestions for bike
rodeos, lots of links. Topics include bicycle accidents, bike skills, bike
traffic laws, and helmets. Also has a quiz, a list of video resources, and
pedestrian information.
Contact
http://www.kernsharetheroad.org/.
What to Teach your Children About Bicycle Safety
The Canada Safety Council is a national, non-government, charitable organization
dedicated to safety. Our mission is to lead in the national effort to reduce
preventable deaths, injuries and economic loss in public and private places
throughout Canada. We serve as a credible, reliable resource for safety
information, education and awareness in all aspects of Canadian life - in
traffic, at home, at work and at leisure.
Resources
Information on what parents should teach their kids, bicycle safety quiz,
injury statistics, helmet information, etc.
Contact
Canada Safety Council,
http://www.safety-council.org/info/child/bicycle.htm.
Bicycle Safety for Kids:
Cool & Interactive Sites!
· Bicycle Safety Quiz (Bakersfield's South Valley Bicycle Coalition
On-Line Quiz) -
www.southvalley.org/quiz.pdf
· California Office of Traffic Safety Kids Site -
www.ots.ca.gov/kids/index.htm
· Consumer Products Safety Commission -
www.cpsc.gov/kids/kids.html
· Consumer Products Safety Commission "Kid Safety Site" -
www.cpsc.gov/kids/kidsafety/index.html
· Exploratorium's "Science of Cycling" -
www.exploratorium.edu/cycling/
· National Highway Traffic Safety Association/NHTSA "Safety City" -
www.nhtsa.gov/kids
· Super Cyclist Project (Texas Dept. of Transportation) -
www.supercyclist.org
© 2005 IPMBA. This article appeared in the Summer 2005 issue of IPMBA
News. |
