Bike Safety Rules for Kids in Your Homeowners Association

A homeowners association provides a great neighborhood for your kids to play in, especially this time of year as the wet weather sets in and they are trapped indoors for much of the day. As soon as a few rays of sun peek through, they will be ready to venture outside to work off all that built up energy. Many kids will be riding the new bikes they found under the Christmas tree. It’s important to set bike safety rules for kids before they start enjoying their new toy.

When it comes to bike safety, your homeowners association wants your children to be as protected as possible while riding their bikes in the neighborhood, and recognizes that you can’t be there to watch them all the time. Here are some bike safety rules for kids that can help increase their safety when you’re not around.

Teach kids how to fall

Learning how to ride correctly is only part of what keeps a kid safe. Falls are inevitable, and teaching your children to fall correctly will prevent many serious injuries. Teach them to roll on impact, relax their body, and try to land on their padded and fleshiest parts.

Set boundaries in the homeowners association

Make sure your kids know where they can and can’t ride in the neighborhood. Maybe they are allowed to go to the end of the block, or not past the blue house. This will help them from getting lost, meeting strangers, or encountering things they are unfamiliar with, like a busy intersection.

Check equipment

Check bikes, scooters or roller skates for cracks or dents, sharp metal parts, jutting edges and slippery surfaces. Replace defective equipment, consult a professional for repairs and apply self-adhesive, non-slip material to slippery surfaces.

Make bike safety rules for kids that have consequences

For example, "one person to each piece of equipment” or "you break it, you buy it.” They might be less likely to hop on a friend’s bike if they know it’s unsafe and that they’ll have to pay for replacing it when it breaks.

Require protective equipment

This is one of the most important safety rules for kids because it can literally save a life. Scooters, roller blades, bikes and similar equipment cause thousands of injuries—and even some deaths—every year. Make sure your children are wearing helmets, knee pads and elbow pads, especially if they are just learning. Buy a helmet your kid thinks is cool and you know is safe. It’s worth the extra money if your child is more likely to wear it.

Most importantly, make sure your children know these bike safety rules for kids are put in place so that they can have a fun, safe place to play in their homeowners association.