New Study Published on Bike Safety

Just how much protection can a bicycle helmet provide in an accident? Up to 470 pounds of impact and 87 percent of acceleration force, according to a new study published Oct. 2 in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics. Yet the national estimate of kids using safety helmets is only 15 to 25 percent – a startling statistic, since head injury is the most common cause of death and serious disability from bike crashes.

When you’re smart about safety, biking can be a great way to boost physical and mental health. Just make sure to buckle up – your helmet, that is!

Are you familiar with bike safety laws in your area?

Helmet laws vary by state. Florida enacted a law in 1997 that requires every child under 16 to wear a properly fitted helmet that meets the national safety standard on all public roads and trails. 

More bike laws in Florida:

• A parent who permits a child under 16 to ride without a helmet can be considered negligent.
• You may not rent or sell a bike to be ridden by a child under 16 unless the child has a helmet or you provide a helmet for the child to wear.
• No bicycle may be used to carry more people than the number for which it is designed or equipped.
• At least one hand must be kept on the handlebars while riding.
• You may not wear a headset, headphones or other listening device other than a hearing aid when riding a bike.

Find more bike laws on the Florida Department of Transportation website.

Looking for new bike routes to try? Check out: Florida Bicycle Trails, as well as U.S. Biking Trails and Maps (searchable by state).

Enjoy the ride…

 “When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.” – Arthur Conan Doyle, Scientific American, 1896