9
9. What parents must bear in mind
Children are among the most vulnerable road
user groups - not only because of their lack
of experience and practise, but also for the
simple reason that they are smaller and may
therefore have difficulties overseeing things
and be easily overlooked.
If you want your child to use his/her bike on
the road, you should be willing to invest time
in road safety instruction and help him/her
improve his/her riding skills. Children are
not as observant as adults, and you should
therefore get into the routine of checking the
bike and performing adjustments and main-
tenance as necessary.
In case of any inquiries, your local MERIDA
dealer will be pleased to help you. Bear in
mind that it is your responsibility to supervise
your child on his or her first rides – and do
not expect too much!
Inform yourself about the traffic rules in your
country. In Germany, children must use the
sidewalk until they are eight years old and
they are permitted to do so until the age of
ten!
9. Kids‘ bikes
It is essential that your child has good control
of his/her bike before riding on the road. As
a first step in this direction we recommend
giving your child a scooter or pedalles bike
so that he/she can train their sense of bal-
ance.
This being accomplished you will need to
make your child familiar with the function-
ing of the brakes and gears before you let
him or her sit on the bike. Find a place away
from the road, ideally a backyard or play
street, where you can practise braking and
switching gears with your child under your
supervision.
If your child has progressed to a point where
he or she can ride in traffic, train how to
negotiate kerbs and other obstacles, that is
as much at right angles as possible. Your
child should also learn to look ahead and
back for any danger before taking this kind
of obstacle.
Set a good example by using bike lanes wher-
ever possible. It is also advisable to let your
child take part in road safety lessons offered
at school or by automobile associations.
Make sure the child always wears a
properly fitting bike helmet and well
visible, i.e. bright, clothing. It is also advis-
able to wear reflector stripes to increase vis-
ibility.
