DATE: Monday, April 7, 1997                 TAG: 9704040007

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B8   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Editorial 

                                            LENGTH:   59 lines

BICYCLES KEEPING KIDS SAFE

Several days ago, 7-year-old Michael Bock was killed when his bicycle was struck by a pickup truck.

The accident happened on the first day of spring break. Police say the driver of the truck was obeying traffic laws and will not be charged in the accident. The driver simply didn't see the youngster in the road.

If anything positive can emerge from such a heartbreaking loss, it should be an increased awareness of bicycle safety. Parents should emphasize to their children the dangers associated with cycling - and tell them of proper safety practices.

First and foremost is the imperative of wearing a helmet when riding a bike. Sadly, like most youngsters, Bock was not wearing a helmet, even though city code requires helmets for all bicyclists 14 and younger. Helmets will not be effective in every case, and Michael's was one. The doctor who examined him said the boy's trauma was so severe that a safety helmet probably would not have saved his life.

Virginia's Department of Motor Vehicles has a Safe Communities Campaign dedicated to protecting children on the roads. Interviews with these safety experts emphasized several potentially lifesaving tips parents ought to share with their children:

DMV recommends that children 9 and under refrain from riding bicycles on public streets. Once a bicycle leaves the yard and enters the roadway it ceases to be a toy and becomes, instead, a vehicle. Because children 9 and under are too young to properly discern danger and make quick decisions, they should confine their bike riding to parks, bike paths, sidewalks and driveways.

Children riding in roadways must comply with the same traffic laws as drivers of cars. They must stop at stop signs, use hand signals when turning and ride in the same direction as motor vehicles.

Approved bicycle helmets should be worn by all cyclists 14 and younger. Older cyclists should also wear helmets - to set a good example for children and to protect their heads.

Drivers should exercise extreme caution when in residential neighborhoods. On some streets even 25 miles per hour is too fast. Driving defensively means remembering that at any moment a child might pedal out of a driveway without looking or swerve in front of a motor vehicle.

Law-enforcement officers in cities with helmet laws should take a hard line on children biking without the protective gear. All offenders should be ticketed.

The Virginia Trauma Registry reports that bicycle injuries are the third leading cause of hospitalization for children 5 to 14 years old. Every year hundreds of Virginia children suffer serious - and preventable - head injuries as a result of bicycle accidents.

The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that nationwide 900 bicyclists a year are killed in collisions between bikes and cars. Another 300 are killed in non-roadway collisions in locations such as driveways and bike paths. Three out of four deaths are due to head injuries.

Spring is the season when children take to the roads on their bicycles. We can all mourn young Michael Bock and honor his memory by teaching our children safe bicycling practices. It could save a life.

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