Childhood safety and additional websites

Bicycle, pedestrian and playground safety

Bicycle safety

Helmets

• Wear your helmet every time you ride your bike.
• Buy a helmet that meets or exceeds current standards set by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
• Make sure your helmet's fit is correct. Do the “Position, Pads, Straps” check:
  Position – Position the helmet on your head so it sits evenly between the ears. The helmet should only be about 1-2 finger widths above your eyebrow.
  Pads – Put foam pads inside the helmet so that it feels comfortable but snug.
  Straps – Tighten the chin strap as snugly as possible. Adjust the junction of front and back straps just under the ears and secure the back strap without putting pressure on the front strap.
• Helmets expire roughly two years after purchase due to degradation of the Styrofoam.  

  This occurs even if you cannot see any damage.  Be sure to purchase new helmets for your children every few years.

• Wear light-colored or reflective clothing when riding at night.

  For more information on bicycle helmets visit the Bike Helmet Safety Institute's website.

Pedestrian safety

• Model safe pedestrian behavior for your children! Cross at crosswalks and obey traffic signals.
• Don't allow children under age 10 to cross streets without adult supervision.
• Make sure you have checked your child's route to school for any hazards. Look for the most direct route with the fewest street crossings.
• Teach your children to look left, right and left again before crossing the street.
• Make sure your children understand and obey all traffic signals and signs.
• Teach children never to run into the street without stopping. Make sure they know that this rule includes balls, pets, etc.
• Make sure your children know what a running car looks like (back up lights, turn signals, etc.)
• Find safe play areas away from streets, driveways or parking areas.
• Dress children in bright colors so drivers can see them easily.

Playground Safety Checklist

• Supervise children at the playground.
• Never let a child play on playground equipment wearing a bicycle helmet, clothing with drawstrings or items around their necks.
• Check the equipment's temperature before letting children play on it. Metal equipment can cause serious burns in hot, sunny weather.
• Know which types of equipment are appropriate for your child's age, and make sure that he or she plays on appropriate equipment for his or her age group.
• Make sure that elevated surfaces, like platforms and ramps, have guardrails to prevent falls.
• Check the playground's surfacing to make sure it's appropriate. Acceptable surfaces include loose-fill materials such as engineered wood fiber, shredded rubber, sand or pea gravel. Other options include synthetic surfaces such as rubber tiles, mats or poured surfaces. Hard surfacing like asphalt, concrete, dirt and/or grass should never be used under equipment.
• Make sure the loose-fill material is at the proper depth. Most playground safety groups recommend 12 inches of loose-fill material.
• Check that appropriate is provided under all equipment and its use zones. Generally, use zones for equipment are six feet in all directions. For swings, the use zones are twice the height of the suspending bar in front and back.
• Make sure that all spaces on play equipment measure less than 3 1/2 inches or more than 9 inches. Spaces between these two measurements can entrap children.
• Make sure there is no dangerous hardware like protruding bolts and open S-hooks that could catch a child's clothing. The gap in S-Hooks should not admit a dime.
• Check the playground regularly to see that the equipment is in good condition and free of broken or missing parts, and/or hardware. Wood equipment should be free of rot and splinters, and plastic equipment should not be cracked.
• Report any unsafe condition immediately to the owner or operator of the playground: principal of the school, director of the childcare center or director of the park.
• If you would like your child's playground check for hazards, please call Amy Hill at 773.880.3993 for a free playground safety check.

Content last reviewed: December 2009