Tweens and bike helmets

Posted by Heidi Shelton-Jenck Nov 5, 2006

Have your kids been called “turtle-head” (or worse) while wearing a bike helmet?

A couple years ago I met with my children’s principal and asked her to consider adding a bicycle safety program to the health and safety programs the school presented during the year. At first she was surprised. She had assumed all the students riding bikes to school wore helmets.

Nope – not even close.

She had thought all parents required their kids to leave the house wearing a helmet. Helmets can reduce the risk of serious injury by 85%. These kinds of odds are well-known.

I told her about my sons riding to school wearing helmets and being teased for it. As kids in our neighborhood got older, there was more and more pressure to leave the helmets at home. The general feeling among the kids was that helmets were for babies.

And this seemed to be fine with many parents.

Fortunately, our principal at that time was wise and caring. Many students rode their bikes to our neighborhood school, and it worried her that they weren’t wearing helmets. She did arrange a bicycle safety presentation, and my sons felt a little more confident about sticking up for themselves when they wore bike helmets to school.

What can you do if your tween resists wearing a helmet?

• Be an example and wear one when you ride.
• Point out teens and adults on the road who are wearing bike helmets.
• Brainstorm sports - like football and hockey - that require players to wear helmets.
• Let your tween pick out their own helmet.

Familydoctor.org has great tips and information for families about bike safety. I wish I’d thought to print this out to give to the school principal when I first approached her about a bike safety program.

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers some great tips for choosing a bike helmet.

Bike riding is a fantastic way for tweens to feel independent, exercise and have fun exploring their neighborhood. Keep them riding and keep them safe!