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Imagine you are 12 years old again. You were just a child with not many freedoms until that moment you hopped on your bicycle or skateboard and flew down the street feeling the wind on your face as your parent shouted, “Don’t get hit by a car!”
Did you ever consider those giant metal “death” machines passing you on your adventures? Of course not, that’s why there was adult supervision.
Now you are the adult supervision, and it is your responsibility to make sure loved ones are safe when riding.
One of the easiest steps you can take to protect yourself and your children is to always provide a helmet when riding. You know this because you have this adult thing covered and know that everyone, both you and your dependents, is required to wear a properly fastened, approved helmet on U.S. military installations in accordance with Air Force Instruction 91-207 of the U.S. Air Force Traffic Safety Program and Army in Europe 190-1 of the Driver and Vehicle Requirements and the Installation Traffic Code for the U.S. Forces in Germany. Wearing a helmet will not prevent someone from getting hit by a car but can greatly reduce the severity of head injuries if they were to have an accident.
There are so many options when selecting a helmet, but a few guidelines can help you in selecting the right one. First, ensure it meets safety standards; there will be a sticker on the inside that reads CPSC, ASTM F1447, Snell B-95, the Institut fuer Zweiradsicherheit e.V. or the Economic Commission of Europe. Once you find an approved safety helmet, make sure it fits properly. The helmet should fit level on your head touching all the way around, and it should be comfortably snug but not tight. When the straps are adjusted and fastened, the helmet should not move more than an inch in any direction and must not pull off no matter how hard you try. Skaters, skateboarders and kick-scooter riders also need to have properly fitted kneepads, elbow pads and wrist guards to further reduce the severity of injury.
In addition to the proper protective gear, there are a few other requirements to employ. AFI 91-207 and AER 190-1 apply to military members and dependents on U.S. military installations in Germany but are equally effective while riding off the installation. Guidance in these directions include ensuring drivers can see you by wearing highly visible clothing during the day and reflective items when it is dark or during low visibility. Also, ensure your bicycles are equipped with a white light visible for 500 feet and a red light visible from the rear for 300 feet. Don’t forget to add reflectors to your spokes, about 180 degrees apart, and pedals, front and rear, to further increase visibility.
Other tools that will reduce the likelihood of a collision include general traffic and pedestrian safety tips. Skaters, skateboarders and kick-scooter riders have similar requirements to bike riders, except they need to stick to the right side of sidewalks, trails and paths.
The use of portable headphones, cell phones or other listening devices is prohibited while riding. Always stop to check for vehicles before entering the roadway, including at crosswalks. This is especially important where the cars are parked on the street since it reduces both the rider’s and the driver’s visibility. When riding bicycles on the roadway, ride single file in the same direction as traffic and follow the same rules as the vehicles: stop at stop signs or red lights and use hand signals when turning. Ride only on a seat attached to the bike and only carry passengers in authorized attached seats.
When you talk to kids about riding their bikes, skateboards or scooters, make sure you give them the right tools to reduce their risk and prevent injury. So the next time you shout, “Don’t get hit by a car,” you know they will put on their helmet and ride safely until the street lights come on and they return home.
