Bicycle safety rodeos to prepare Ansbach children for safe summer rides

By USAG Ansbach Safety OfficeApril 21, 2014

Bicycle safety course
A U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach child rides her bicycle through an obstacle course at the Fun Factory event April 10, 2014, at Katterbach Kaserne. The USAG Ansbach Safety Office will hold bicycle rodeos at 3:30 p.m. April 25 and 28 Storck Barracks and K... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ANSBACH, Germany (April 21, 2014) -- The U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach Safety Office, in coordination with the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation's Child, Youth and School Services and Outdoor Recreation will host bicycle safety rodeos for children 6 to 12 years old.

Safety Office will participate in the Storck Barracks Child Youth Service Block Party April 25 at 3:30 p.m. The event is scheduled to be held at the Child Development Center/School Age Center at Storck Barracks.

Katterbach Child Development Center/School Age Center will host the bicycle rodeo in their parking lot April 28 at 3:30 p.m. To participate in the rodeo, the children should bring their bicycle and bicycle helmet.

The bicycle safety rodeos will feature free bicycle inspections with quick, minor tune-ups as needed and egg drops demonstrating the importance of wearing a properly fitted helmet.

"Our goal is to inform parents and children about the safety aspects of riding a bicycle on and off post to prevent vehicle-bicycle collisions," said Manfred Meyer, safety specialist with the garrison. "The three big causes of vehicle-bicycle collisions involving children are (1) riding out of a driveway without stopping; (2) failing to stop for stop signs; (3) suddenly swerving without looking back. Other common causes include riding on the wrong side of the street and riding at night without proper lighting and reflective clothing. We also know that a vast majority of crashes and serious injuries don't involve cars; the cyclist simply loses control of the bike and crashes to the ground."

"We will address the leading causes of bicycle accidents and teach the young cyclists a straightforward set of rules -- in 10 to 15 minutes -- to follow when riding on post" said Ta'Vares Hickey, safety specialist with the garrison. "After the briefing, the cyclists will go through the ADAC Bicycle Challenge Course, which will be set up in the parking lots of the child care facilities. The cyclists will negotiate a series of obstacles designed to test their skills and recall of the information presented in the safety briefing."

"Although the course will teach children the rules of the road, children often mimic what they see others do," said EJ Singleton, safety manager with the garrison. "Parents must stress to their child regardless of what they see their friends or others do, it is not always safe to just follow a friend or mimic an adult especially when riding a bicycle in traffic."

For further information on the bicycle safety rodeos, call the Safety Office at 0981-183-1670 or DSN 468-1670 or commercially 0981-183-1670. To learn more about sports safety, including bicycling, click "Sports injury prevention guide" in the "Related Links" section.

Related Links:

USAG Ansbach home page

Sports injury prevention guide