8 8 Street Wise Part 2: Educating Children For Safe

Transcript

Note: “Street Wise Part 1” appeared in the May 2005 issue of TEPE. It described the value of bicycling and walking to school. The authors also included numerous references to education and support materials. The article in this issue describes a bicycling unit for grades 3–6. —Editor Street Wise Part 2: Educating Children for Safe Bicycling by Linda B. Crider and Amanda K. Hall T Day 1: Helmets and Hazards his part of the “Street Wise” series incorporates essential bicycle safety skills into a one week bike unit, designed for 3rd through 6th graders. These skills Before starting a bicycle unit, it is important for each require much repetition and practice but can help chilchild to be properly fitted with their own helmet. Plan dren develop safe traffic behaviors that save lives, such a bike helmet sales drive as a school fundraiser prior as stopping, scanning, signaling, street crossing, and to the Bike Week unit. It is helpful to have parents or avoiding hazards (see Figure 1). Florida elementary and older student volunteers help with helmet fitting; teach middle school teachers and school resource officers go students (and parents) how to adjust their own helmets. through a 10-hour training workshop to become knowlDay one begins with helmet importance and fit and edgeable and proficient in teaching this unit to their then moves on to avoiding hazards. Research shows students. The purpose of this series is to encourage all that up to 90% of fatal bicycle crashes are the result of physical education teachers to implement bicycle eduhead trauma. Many doctors agree if all bicyclists wore cation into their teaching agenda. helmets, 75% or more of bicycle-related deaths would Teaching children safe bicycling skills can be a chalbe eliminated. A properly worn and certified bicycle lenging task. Class control and time management are helmet cushions and protects the head from injurious needed to most effectively carry out each lesson, so impacts with hard surfaces such as asphalt and conpreparation is key. It is not something you want to crete. Reliable helmets carry a sticker of approval by attempt alone. But you can solicit help from the usual ANSI, ASTM, or SNELL, which means those helmets sources (i.e., school resource officers, teacher aids, volhave met safety standards. Properly fitting helmets are unteers, and parents) and look also to local bike shop snug, cannot move or slide, and should not move when or bike club members, League Cycling students shake their head vigorously. Helmets come Instructors (LCI’s, certified through with pads of various thickness that when placed approthe League of American Bicyclists), priately inside the helmet, result in a tighter fit. civic clubs, and safe kids organizations. The extra help is especially TWO-FINGER RULE When fitting a bike helmet, it should sit important for the bike field day. comfortably level and secure when the chin strap is fastened. To Table 3—Instructional Strategies for Monday Day 1 (in-class) 1. Introduction 2. Helmets– importance and fit 3. Hazard worksheet check the fit: (a) Two fingers should fit between the chin and chin strap, (b) no more than two fingers width of forehead should be exposed between the helmet rim and the eyebrows, and (c) two fingers in a “V” should able Intermediate to reach from the bottom of the ear. Teaching Motor Skills to be Upper Children Tuesday Day 2 (in-class) Wednesday Day 3 (on-bike) Thursday Day 4 (on-bike) 1. Bike laws 2. Parking & locking your bike 3. Seeing/being seen 1. Bike safety check 2. Starting, stopping, and “power pedal” 3. “Demon driveway” 1. Scanning 2. Turning, signaling, and road position 3. Snail race FIGURE 1 Bike Week outline 8 Teaching Elementary Physical Education | March 2006 Friday Day 5 Bike Field Day 1. Bike rodeo stations Lesson Activities Egg Drop Time: 10 min Materials: Two raw eggs, two plastic zip-lock bags, a bicycle helmet, and a box full of styrofoam pellets Activity: The egg drop is a great activity to show students how wearing a helmet reduces the severity of head injuries. Place two eggs in separate plastic ziplock bags. Explain to students that an egg simulates the human brain inside the skull. Ask a student to hold one of the eggs (in the plastic bag) over a hard surface (desktop or floor) and drop it. The egg breaks when dropped from as low as even three inches. Then, ask the student to hold the other egg high, and drop it into the box full of “popcorn” styrofoam pellets. The egg should not break. Discussion: Show the class a bicycle helmet. Explain that it is constructed with an inner crushable liner of styrofoam, like that in the box, which reduces force to the head from 1800 g’s to less than 200 g’s (G forces: a measurement scientists use to indicate how hard one object hits another). The styrofoam cushion protects the brain when someone falls from their bike. Practice helmet fitting with partners using the “2-finger rule.” Find the Twelve Hazards Time: 30 min Materials: Worksheet (Figure 2, next page) Activity: Instruct students to circle the twelve hazards the bicyclist in the foreground is likely to encounter. Answers: (1) Male bicyclist is riding his bicycle against the flow of traffic; (2) male bicyclist is not wearing a helmet; (3) male bicyclist is driving with only one hand on the handle bar; (4) car backing out of driveway; (5) on-coming train; (6) pedestrian crossing street with packages; (7) opened door of parked car; (8) loose dog; (9) sewer gate; (10) pot hole; (11) leaves/debris; (12) car crossing the path of the girl bicyclist. Discussion: Talk about each hazard and how they can be avoided. If class time is limited, send the worksheet home for students to work on with their parents. Discuss it during the next class. Day 2: Bike Laws, Parking and Locking Your Bike, and Seeing/Being Seen Students should be familiar with basic rules of the road. Teaching bike laws helps students recognize their responsibility when in the traffic mix and helps them predict the actions of other roadway users. Explain to students that bicyclists have the same rights to the roadway, but must also obey the same traffic laws as all other vehicle drivers. Such laws include stopping at stop signs and at red lights, riding with the flow of traffic (on the same side of the road as other vehicles), using lights at night, and yielding the right-of-way when entering a roadway. We advise that you check with your state Department of Transportation for bicycle laws specific to your state. Riding against traffic, in particular, greatly increases risks to the bike rider. Motor vehicle drivers are NOT looking for cyclists coming from the wrong direction. And, riding on the wrong side of the road makes it hard to comply with other traffic laws. Lesson Activities Guest Speaker: Invite a bicycle patrol officer to the class as a guest speaker to go over bike laws and how roads and streets are designed for safety. They can also discuss the importance of locking bikes. Parking and Locking: A bike should be parked upright (not laid down where dirt and sand can get in the chain). Use the kickstand or rest the bike against a post or stationary object. Lock the bike to a designated bike rack in a safe and observable location that is well lit at night. Time: 15-30 min Activity: Ask a few students to bring their U-locks or cable locks to class. With a bike, demonstrate the proper way to lock both the wheel and frame to a rack or stationary post. Discussion: Ask students if they have ever had a bike stolen or if they know of anyone who has. Discuss where bikes should be locked and the significance of locking bicycles to fixed objects. Seeing/Being Seen: Many bicycle and pedestrian related crashes happen because motor vehicle drivers do not see bicyclists or pedestrians. Bright and light colors, such as neon yellow, green, orange, and hot pink are the most visible colors. Students should wear these colors whenever they bike or walk. White is better than dark or camouflage, which cannot be seen at all, especially at night or dusk when visibility for motorists is low. Students should not ride in the dark, but if they must travel at these times, front and rear lights are required by law. Retro-reflective stripes or reflective equipment and clothing can also be worn to increase the likelihood of being seen by motorists or other cyclists. Time: 10 min Activity: Ask four students to wear different shades of clothing: (a) white, bright yellow or orange; (b) contrast [i.e., stripes]; (c) camouflage; and (d) dark brown, black, or green. Have them stand side-by-side in front of the class. Use a dimmer switch to turn the lights out and slowly turn them back on or hold up a sheet in front of them and quickly lower. Teaching Elementary Physical Education | March 2006 9 Find the 12 Hazards FIGURE 2 Pretend you’re the cyclist at the bottom of this picture. Can you see 12 hazards that could cause an accident? Drawing by John Williams, A Guide to Bike Rodeos, Outdoor Empire Publishing, Inc., reprinted with permission. 10 Teaching Elementary Physical Education | March 2006 Discussion: Ask students who they could see first. Second? Last? Then discuss why. Extension: Show students how retro-reflective material works by turning off the lights and shining a flashlight on it. This shows how reflective stripes stand out in the dark. Being seen also involves communicating with motorists, not assuming they see bicyclists or walkers. Bicyclists communicate by using hand signals and waiting for motorists to wave or give a voice acknowledgment before proceeding through an intersection or across a driveway. Activity: Use sunglasses to demonstrate that a motorist may be looking in the direction of a cyclist but not really seeing them. Day 3: Bike Safety Check; Starting, Stopping, and Power Pedal; “Demon Driveway” Ask students who have bikes to bring them to school on Day 3. A properly fitting bike is vital for comfort and safety. If a bike is too large or too small, it might be uncomfortable to ride and could cause injuries. Bicycles can be shared between riders of same height, but they need to be in good repair. Before beginning the on-bike portion of bike week, students should perform the ABC Quick Check. The objective of the lesson is to make sure that each student knows how to do a safety check on their bicycle. (Use parents or a bike mechanic to help check the bikes. Do not use an unsafe bike.) Lesson Activities ABC Quick Check. Teacher calls out, “A” stands for . . . Air. Check tire pressure on both the front and rear tire. The tire should be inflated to the rated pressure printed on the sidewall of tire. Have pump available and demonstrate how to pump up a tire. “B” stands for . . . brakes. Check the brakes. Make sure both the front and rear hand brake can stop the bike (or by foot if the bike has coaster brakes). Remind students that using only the front brake can cause the cyclist to go over the handlebars if they attempt to stop suddenly. “C” stands for . . . chain and crank set. Check to make sure the chain fits snug around the chain ring. The cassette (or freewheel, the part on the rear hub that makes a ratcheting sound) should move freely and not be rusted frozen or clogged with sand and debris. The crank set (the arms that hold the pedals) can be checked by grabbing both pedals with your hands and attempting to move them sideways. They should not move. “Quick” stands for . . . wheels with quick releases need to be secure. Make sure the quick release levers act like clamps to hold the wheel on the frame. If the seat post has a quick release lever, it should also be tight. “Check” stands for check the bike by riding around slowly for an inspection. Make sure the derailleurs and shift levers are functioning. During Bike Week, have a bike shop mechanic, older student, or parent volunteer help students identify problems and tag bikes needing more major repairs. A bike should NOT be used if it is unsafe to ride. Starting, Stopping, and “Power Pedal.” Discuss with students the importance of stopping at driveways, at stop signs, at the end of streets and at intersections. Teach students to identify stop signs and stop bars; look left, right, left, and then proceed when it is safe to do so. Explain the hand signal for stopping and suggest they call it out as well. Saying “stopping” out loud is helpful when riding in a group, with other cyclists behind them. Introduce the power pedal position and help students understand how it allows for a more efficient take-off after each stop. Time: 35 min Materials: Every student should have their own helmet and bike (students may share a bike if there are not enough), 4 cones, 4 ropes at least 50’ long or chalk to mark off lanes, 4-8 stop signs and mock cars. Set-up: 2 bikes at beginning of each row Activity: Have the students practice the power pedal position. They should place their take-off pedal above horizontal, at about a 65-degree angle, before they start/ push-off and again each time they stop. This provides some forward momentum as they start pedaling. Divide and line students up single file in two separate lanes (or more depending on the size of the class) marked off with ropes or chalk. Tell the first student in each lane to ride down the lane watching for stop signs and stop bars. As they approach a stop sign, they should call out, “stopping,” give a hand signal if able, stop, and place one foot on the ground. After looking left, right, and left again for traffic, they can move the pedal up to the power pedal position and continue down the lane. “Demon Driveway.” In this activity, cyclists learn to find the edge of the street; look left, right, and left again and go when it is clear; deal with visual barriers; and find the safest way to cross over to the right side of a road or sidewalk. The number one cause of young child fatalities on bicycles is failing to stop before entering the street (i.e., mid-block ride-out or driveway ride-out). In many instances, the motorist’s and cyclist’s vision are obstructed by visual barriers: parked cars, shrubs, electrical boxes, and trash cans. To see around a visual barrier, the bicyclist should walk the bike out just enough to see around it to make Teaching Elementary Physical Education | March 2006 11 sure no cars are coming. To make sure the bicycle is not sticking out in traffic, the cyclist slides off the seat and leans over the handle bars. Materials: Visual barriers (parked car, cardboard/ plywood shrubs, electrical boxes, and trash cans). Time: 20 min Activity: Students are to imagine they are riding out of a driveway (using a lane from the previous activity as the road or street). As they approach the edge of the road, they must stop and look left, right, and left again before starting. As they look, they should identify visual barriers on the sides of the roadway. While crossing the street to get to the right side of the roadway or sidewalk, the cyclist should continue to look left and right as they cross. Day 4: Scanning, Turning and Signaling, Road Position, and Snail Race Lesson activities Scanning. The objective of this exercise is for students to control their bicycle riding in a straight line, while scanning back over their shoulder to identify over-taking traffic. Time: 20 min Materials: A drawing of a car on plywood (or heavy cardboard) with one side blank. Use same lane set-up as previous on-bike activities, but without stop signs. Activity: Divide and line up students in two (or more) separate lanes. Have students ride one at a time down a lane while the teacher or student volunteer calls out “Scan” and holds up either the car or the blank side of the plywood. A student in each row scans over their left shoulder and calls out “Car” or “No car” (blank side), while controlling their bike in a straight line. Turning, Signaling, and Road Position. This activity teaches students to position themselves properly when riding on the road, crossing intersections, and making right and left turns. They are also to demonstrate proper hand signals for stopping and right and left turns. Time: 30 min Materials: Bicycles, helmets, 4 cones, 4 ropes at least 50’ long (or use a real intersection adjacent to school) or chalk, 12-20 poly spots (3 different colors), mock cars, and 2 stop signs (see Figure 3). Activity: Have students line up side by side, straddling their bikes, facing the instructor. Have students demonstrate hand signals: slowing or stopping (left hand down, arm bent down at elbow), right hand turn (right arm and hand straight out to the right or 12 left arm and hand bent upward), and left turn (left arm and hand straight out to the left). Emphasize that students signal their intentions by pointing the way they want to go and holding the signal long enough for a motorist behind to know their intentions. Practice voice commands “Stopping,” “Right,” and “Left.” These verbal commands must be called out well ahead of turning so drivers and other cyclists know their intentions. Place the poly spots in the intersection and explain to students that during turns or going through intersections, a cyclist should occupy a specific area of the road to be most visible and predictable to motorists. Place the poly spots, 3 different colors, side by side in one lane close to the intersection and explain to students that each color represents a specific movement: right turn, straight through, or left turn. Demonstrate road position for each right or left turn and straight-through movement. Now divide the class into two groups: half on one side of the intersection approaching a stop sign and the other half on the other side of the intersection approaching a stop sign. Have the students practice making left turns, right turns, and straight through movement. The instructor should remain in the middle of the intersection to observe and provide feedback to the students. Students should scan behind for oncoming traffic when approaching the stop sign; position bike FIGURE 3 Have all students travel through the intersection making right turns, straight thru, and left turns. This is a continuous activity. Poly spots, three different colors representing each type of maneuver, can be placed in each row to show students where to position themselves so other users of the roadway know their travel intentions in addition to verbal and hand signaling. Teaching Elementary Physical Education | March 2006 in lane for intended direction of travel; give hand signal at least 25 feet before the intersection; stop at the stop sign; look left, right, and left again; and when clear, give hand signal once again before proceeding through the intersection. Note: There are a few ways to make a left hand turn: “conventional” or vehicle left turn (cyclist scans behind for traffic before moving across the lane to the left side of the travel lane; after or while scanning give left-hand signal, move across lane to the left side of the lane or to the left turning lane when it is safe to do so; stop at the stop sign; look left, right, left, then look across the intersection to be sure there is no traffic coming straight through; when clear, give the left-hand signal once again before proceeding; move to the right-hand side of the travel lane after making the left turn and continue); inverted “L” for left turns (continue riding across the intersection scanning for any turning cars and stop at the far corner of the intersection, turn the bike to the left and wait for the green signal or a gap in traffic, and proceed on the right side of the road when it is safe to do so), and/or dismount at the corner and cross as a pedestrian. Snail Race. This is a skills drill for students to have fun, work on control of their bikes, and demonstrate that going slow can be just as hard as going fast. Activity: Mark off an area approximately 10 feet long and 25 feet wide allowing plenty of space between each rider for error. Mark a start and finish line 10’ apart. Explain to the students that the object of the race is to balance on their bikes for as long as they can, without putting a foot down, by pedaling and braking at the same time. This helps maintain balance. The last person to cross the finish line is the winner. A rider is disqualified if he/she touches the ground with a foot. Day 5: Bike Rodeo With Stations/Bike Field Day Lesson Activities Bike Rodeo. The Bike Rodeo gives students an opportunity to demonstrate all the skills learned during the Bicycle Safety Unit. Time: 30 min Materials: Cones, ropes or chalk to mark lanes and intersection crossings, 10-12 stop signs, visual barriers (real or mock cars, bushes, and/or fences), individual station tags (a card that provides a space for student’s name, lists each station, and a space where station leaders can check students off as they go through each station), station leaders to explain each activity and check off students, washable markers for checking off stations on the cards. Activity: Stations can include (a) registration (get station tag), helmet fit, and ABC Quick Check; (b) stopping; (c) scanning; (d) demon driveway; (e) snail race; (f) intersection activity for road position (right and left turns, straight through). Divide the students into groups of 4-6, number each station, and send each group to a different station (2-5) after helmet fit and bike check. All groups can enter the intersection (station 6) once they have completed the other stations, practicing turns and road positioning. Group leaders can be teacher aids, parents, and volunteers. Group leaders should check off station tags and allow students to proceed to the next station only after they have mastered a current station’s skill. Each student should repeat the skills at the stations at least twice. This is a great opportunity for instructors (and parents) to evaluate each student’s progress. Conclusion and Resources Available Administration and community support are an important part of implementing a successful bicycle safety education program. Support from the principal, a school advisory committee, other faculty, school resource officers, and parents are imperative to a good program. Community Bicycle/Pedestrian advisory boards can also be approached for support, resources, or for guest speakers. Conducting the bike unit/week curriculum in 5 days can be a challenge in time management. This program ideally needs a two to three week format to effectively teach and to allow enough time for students to master all of the skills. We hope that the two “Street Wise” articles have been helpful in providing information and encouragement for conducting a bike unit in your school and encouraging more students to walk or bike to school. Interested physical education and health teachers can become more involved in bicycle and pedestrian organizations in their state. For more information on videos and resources available on pedestrian and bicycle safety and education, contact the League of American Bicyclists. Resources Please visit our website for additional information at: http:// www.dcp.ufl.edu/centers/trafficsafetyed The Florida Traffic and Bicycle Safety Education Program: Traffic safety education guide for elementary school students (2nd ed., 2001). Pre-driver’s ed…Thinking ahead! For middle school students. (2001) The Guide to Bicycle Rodeos, by John Williams and Dan Burden: Publications Department Outdoor Empire Publishing, Inc. 511 Eastlake Avenue East Seattle, WA 98109 206 -624 -3845 League of American Bicyclists (www.bikeleague.org). j Teaching Elementary Physical Education | March 2006 13