Lesson 3:
Ride Out

Parents' Instructions

• Review the background information and Parent/Child Activity that follows.
• Have your child complete the age appropriate activity on the back.
• Sign the Rodeo Round-Up Form at Lesson 3 when the lesson is completed.
• Reinforce the lesson whenever your child rides.

Ride Out Background

Fifty percent of the automobile-bicycle collisions involving children ages 5-8 occur when children "ride out" into the path of traffic from a driveway or sidewalk, usually on quiet streets in residential neighborhoods.

Parent/Child Activity

Discuss:

Before walking or riding your bike into the street from a driveway or sidewalk, you should stop, look left, look right look left AGAIN and listen to be sure the road is clear of traffic.

Practice:

Take your children to the end of a driveway or sidewalk and demonstrate the proper way to enter a street. Get your children in the habit of walking, rather than riding their bikes to the end of the driveway or sidewalk. Have them practice the look left, right and left again sequence. It is critical that you emphasize the importance of looking left a second time because traffic coming from the left offers a more immediate danger and is more likely to have an obstructed view. If traffic is approaching, wait until it has cleared and repeat the look sequence again.

Point out trees, bushes and parked cars that may block the driver's view. If there are barriers to their view, practice the left, right, left sequence again at the edge of the barrier.

Next, have your child sit in the driver's seat of a car. Show them how difficult it can be for a driver to see a bicyclist coming down a driveway or sidewalk. Make sure they understand that just because they see a car, it doesn't mean the driver sees them.

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