Bicycle Safety Skills

[Music] have you ever in our town they test you for an operator's license like this to earn his license Cliff has proved that he knows the skills of controlling his bike and the r riding and he'll prove it again Saturday this is Cliff's younger brother Arthur cliff and his father have been teaching Arthur to be a better bike rider Arthur has learned the rules at school he walks his bike where there are lots of people Arthur never rides in the street because he knows he's not old enough he knows that it's not safe for young children to ride in the street Arthur was checking over his bike when Cliff got home from school Arthur had also read a about the bike tests and he wanted to try them himself Cliff showed him the booklet from his safety course about the things the testers check to be sure your bike is safe and ready to go anyone knows that a bike has to be in good condition to be a safe bike another thing they check at the test is the size and and adjustment of each bike how does it fit the rider Arthur's legs have grown since he got the bike so the saddle will have to be raised and when they finish here Cliff will check over his bike to see that it's in good safe condition and is adjusted to fit him well it's later now and they have a safe place to learn balance and control where there's no traffic here's one safety skill how smoothly do you start your bike place one foot on the high pedal push off with the other foot and swing yourself into the saddle underway smoothly and safely without wobbling you can show you're a skillful Rider in a number of ways one keep your shoulders easy even don't wobble two pedal evenly pedal in Rhythm keeping your legs close to the frame put the same Drive in each leg so the chain pulls evenly all the time watch closely to see this next skill use your ankles to give extra push to do this you have to keep the ball of each foot on the pedal you can drive better when you use your ankles finally how do you stop can you stop where you want to easily without skidding or losing control starting smoothly pedaling evenly there are many ways you can show you're a skilled Rider with balance and control cliff thinks Arthur also needs to be learning the rules of the road for the time when he becomes old enough and skilled enough to ride in the street when you're riding in the street as Lucy and Cliff are doing you're a part of traffic just like a car or truck bike rules may be different from one town to another but generally they're like automobile driving rules keep to the right moving with traffic and single file look out for cars that might pull out into traffic or for car doors that might suddenly open motorists should not get out this side but watch out for them in case they do try to avoid busy intersections but when you have to go that way obey the lights and signals walk your bike across heavy traffic that's the safest shest way and if you have a left turn to make use the green light in each Direction try never to get in the way of cars there's another thing to think about beside following bike rules and watching out for others avoid dangerous riding like that fellow carrying another Rider usually means riding without proper control it's just not possible to ride double on a bike with safety if there are two fellas in one bike then both had better walk there's dangerous riding hitching arriv this can be real serious to ruin your bike or get yourself hurt or killed maybe now he'll decide never hit your ride have fun on your bike and stay alive avoid dangerous riding Cliff tells Arthur there's another thing you'll want to learn and that's signaling bicycle laws may vary but these signals show others what you're going to do here's a left turn when there's little traffic look back to be sure the way is clear signal by pointing left look again then make your turn another thing remember to give your signal well in advance using your left hand for a right turn raise your left hand like this learn to Signal without losing control make your turns and your stops with both hands on the grips here's a stop signal left hand sharply down facing to the rear well from then on Arthur was trying his best to ride the Safe Way by using signals on the sidewalk he was practicing for the time when he would be old enough to ride in the street he walks across Corners because he never rides in the road and he remembers that other people use the sidewalk too when Arthur signals he lets them know what he is going to do people like him better for being courteous on his bike well it finally came the bicycle safety skills day at school and they're all working to test the Riders and their bikes Arthur's watching to see how Cliff does getting his license renewed he's on his way through inspection Now they're checking to be sure his bike fits him saddle level handlebar is the right height Now they're checking the mechanical condition of his bike tightness Wheels true and all the things that make for a good safe bike to ride now it's later and he's almost through with a test on safety rules remember those we've seen do you keep to the right and in single file do you obey traffic signs and signals do you watch out for pedestrians and cars especially at street corners do you avoid dangerous practices such as hitching rides carrying passengers stunting but safe riding means more than knowing the rules and having a bike that fits you and is in good condition how good are you at control of your bike and balance these testers really check everything yet these things are important for your safety and each test you take helps you develop your skills to earn the privilege of riding on the street by the time Cliff has been through all the tests he has a better idea of how safe he is on a bike he has shown that he can ride safely with control and skill and courtesy to others he has earned his new operator's license he can still keep learning because it won't be too long before he'll be driving a car and most of the rules and the courtesies are the same as on a bike and now it's Arthur's turn he's still not old enough to earn his license and ride on the street but he's learning the skills and the courtesies of safe bicycle riding [Music]