Family Fitness: Biking Safety Tips

One of our favorite ways to sneak in plenty of family fitness in spring and summer activities is biking. It is a fun activity as we have lots of bike paths and parks in our area. However biking can be dangerous and we need to follow some biking safety rules in order to have a pleasant and safe ride.

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It is sad but common to hear about biking accidents in our city! Avoid accidents and have a good family time (or solo ) on your bike by checking the following biking safety tips for a pleasant ride.

Biking Safety Tips for your Family Fitness Fun

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1. Wear a helmet.  While as a parent I enforce this rule on my kid, I sometimes don’t want to wear a bike helmet myself. I think “it’s too hot, it will mess with my hair, not stylish, etc”. But I make sure to wear it anyway,  for my safety and as an example for my kids. When I forget to wear it (which is very rare), I get reminded by my kids. A helmet will protect your head in case of a fall or accident. Wearing a helmet really is one of the most important biking safety tips!

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2. Keep your toddlers safe: Taking your toddler along on family fitness activities sets the groundwork for a healthy childhood and is a great way to prevent childhood obesity. If your toddler is in the seat attached to your bike (affiliate link) or in one of those cute little bike trailers (affiliate link),  make sure that he wears a helmet and seat belt too. We also make sure that one of the parents is biking behind that trailer in case something happens.

3. Respect lights and stop signs.  Many bike riders tend to cross the street without respecting the light. When I am riding my car and notice this, it frustrates me. It puts his life in danger and the car driver too.  So please respect those lights. Not only will it save your life, it will also save you the ire of car drivers!

4. Watch out for open car doors.  Many accidents happen when a car driver opens the door and hits a bike rider who was just behind him. He did not see him because the bike was in his blind spot or he just did not turn his head to look. So for car drivers please pay attention when you open your door. Bike riders: move away from cars whenever possible.

5. For better biking safety, wear colorful and bright clothes. One of my neighbors travels to work on his bike. He rides 30 km a day! One day he was almost hit by a car because he was wearing dark colors! The driver did not see him. Imaging yourself in traffic, everything looks the same whereas bright colors are noticeable. Since then he wears a yellow jacket. Bright colors during the day or night will help you get noticed. If you’re riding at night, put some reflectors on your clothes too.

6. Carry a bottle of water. While this is not a direct biking safety measure, biking lets you exert plenty of effort. While this is great for family fitness, it can also lead to dehydration. Biking when dehydrated is not safe.  Having a bottle of water on hand will avoid this.

Biking is a great way to exercise, have fun and bond as a family. By following some basic biking safety tips, you will have a pleasant family fitness activity. Do you bike as a family? Share with us your biking safety tips!

11 thoughts on “Family Fitness: Biking Safety Tips”

  1. I can’t stand how bikers around here all wear dark black clothing! I can hardly see them! I try to watch out for them…but sometimes they just blend in far too well! Definitely wear clothes that help you stand out!

  2. Most people don’t realize that you must follow the same rules as a car when you are riding a bicycle. It drives me crazy when kids ride in the middle of the street and aren’t paying attention to the traffic around them. Every spring, I start watching for kids on bicycles.

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