
7
2. SAFETY
A. The Basics
WARNING:
t
he
area
in
whiCh
you
ride
may
require
speCifiC
safety
deviCes
. i
t
is
your
responsibility
to
familiarize
yourself
with
the
laws
of
the
area
where
you
ride
and
to
Comply
with
all
appliCable
laws
,
inCluding
properly
equipping
yourself
and
your
bike
as
the
law
requires
.
o
bserve
all
loCal
biCyCle
laws
and
regulations
. o
bserve
regulations
about
biCyCle
lighting
,
liCensing
of
biCyCles
,
riding
on
sidewalks
,
laws
regulating
bike
path
and
trail
use
,
helmet
laws
,
Child
Carrier
laws
,
speCial
biCyCle
traffiC
laws
,
and
so
on
. i
t
’
s
your
responsibility
to
know
and
obey
the
laws
. r
eview
a
ppendix
f
for
basiC
safety
rules
while
biCyCling
in
traffiC
.
An important note to parents:
Appendix E of this Manual contains some rules and lessons
which adults are already expected to know, but which children need to be taught and to have
frequently reinforced. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with Appendix E as well as
with the information below, and to teach these rules to your child before you let your child
ride unsupervised.
1. Always wear a cycling helmet which meets the latest certification standards and is
appropriate for the type of riding you do. Always follow the helmet manufacturer’s
instructions for fit, use and care of your helmet. Most serious bicycle injuries
involve head injuries which might have been avoided if the rider had worn an
appropriate helmet.
WARNING:
f
ailure
to
wear
a
helmet
when
riding
may
result
in
serious
injury
or
death
.
2. Always do the Mechanical Safety Check (Section 1.C) before you get on a bike.
3. Be thoroughly familiar with the controls of your bicycle: brakes (Section 4.C.); pedals (Section
4.E.); shifting (Section 4.D.)
4. Be careful to keep body parts and other objects away from the sharp teeth of chainrings, the
moving chain, the turning pedals and cranks, and the spinning wheels of your bicycle.
5. Always wear:
• Shoes that will stay on your feet and will grip the pedals. Make sure that shoe laces cannot
get into moving parts, and never ride barefoot or in sandals.
• Bright, visible clothing that is not so loose that it can be tangled in the bicycle or snagged by
objects at the side of the road or trail.
• Protective eyewear, to protect against airborne dirt, dust and bugs — tinted when the sun is
bright, clear when it’s not.
6. Don’t jump with your bike. Jumping a bike, particularly a BMX or mountain bike, can be fun; but
it can put huge and unpredictable stress on the bicycle and its components. Riders who insist on
jumping their bikes risk serious damage, to their bicycles as well as to themselves. Before you
attempt to jump, do stunt riding or race with your bike, read and understand Section 2.F.
7. Ride at a speed appropriate for conditions. Increased speed means higher risk.
Fig.1
Summary of Contents for Bike
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