VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – National Bike to School Day was Wednesday, May 5th. ON THE MOVE partnered with all Valley City schools to encourage students to ride bike to school.
Biking offers children an opportunity to have fun, be more independent and is great exercise and good for the environment. Bike to School Day encourages students to have fun riding bike to school and brings attention to the importance of biking safety.
ON THE MOVE partnered with Valley City Public Schools to create two bike safety videos that were posted on the Valley City Public Schools Facebook page. School Resource Officer Sean Hagen shared information on biking safety and highlighted the following points:
1. Always wear a helmet.
2. Children under 10 years old should ride on the sidewalk if one is available. If not, be sure to bike on the street and follow the rules of the road and use hand signals.
3. Be careful around driveways, a car could be backing out.
4. When crossing an intersection, stop and look left, then right, then left again before entering a street.
When riding bike on the street, it is important to use hand signals to alert drivers.
⦁ Left turn: Extend your left arm out straight from your side.
⦁ Right turn: Extend your left arm out from your side, bent at a 90-degree angle at the elbow, hand pointing upward and the palm of your hand facing forward. Another option is to put your right arm straight out from your side.
⦁ Stopping or slowing: Extend your left arm out from your side, bent at a 90-degree angle at the elbow, hand pointing downward and the palm of your hand facing backward.
Walking or biking to school gives students time for physical activity and a sense of independence; it also creates an opportunity to be outdoors and provides time to connect with friends. As the weather gets nicer and more people are biking, let’s all have fun while keeping safety in mind!
