Area youngsters mounted their bikes Thursday to learn valuable safety habits and rules of the road during a bike rodeo at Kerry Park.
A safety obstacle course was set up and manned by local police officers to give kids hands-on experience about how to properly maneuver a bike and to notice and abide by road signs.
Each participant in the rodeo’s safety obstacle course received a free helmet, one of the most important — and most overlooked — elements to bike safety, according to organizers.
“All too often parents and children forget the importance of wearing a bike helmet,” said Rachel Amdahl, rodeo co-organizer and community education director at Independent School District 361. “I’ve seen children around town who are not wearing a bike helmet while biking. This is dangerous and frightening both as a driver and as a parent.”
“Too many children, as well as adults, think that it’s uncool or embarrassing to wear a helmet,” added co-organizer Natalie Stone, Koochiching County Health Department educator/SHIP coordinator. “I would challenge that by asking how cool is it to be injured and not be able to have fun? Putting a helmet or other safety gear on only takes a few seconds, and that is time that could save your life.”
Aside from learning safety habits, the course also taught kids the rules of the road by using stop signs and other road signs.
“We were out there basically to teach kids basic safety issues when they ride their bikes,” said Falls Police Chief Mike Musich. “They also get to see the officers in a different light. We were out there to help kids and teach them safety rules.”
Musich added that even though most of the kids who came through the course were young, it is never too early to teach them how to ride a bike safely.
Organizers of the event explained that a lot of bicycle riding in the community is done on roads and streets shared with motor vehicles. For everyone’s safety, children need to be taught to obey the rules of the road as if they were driving a car, they said.
About 68 children between the ages of 4 and 12 participated in the bike rodeo. Amdahl and Stone agreed that both participants and their parents were pleased with the event.
“Several (kids) rode through the course multiple times so I am assuming they liked it and were having fun,” Amdahl said. “Many parents were there with their cameras to capture the smiles and serious looks of concentration on their child’s faces while they rode through the course.”
