Scouting, Volume 59, Number 3, May-June 1971 Page: 10
48 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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BOY ON A BIKE
By JOE ORLANDO
YOUR son's first bicycle signals
the beginning of the end of his
childhood, provides new wheels for
adventure, and may plant the seed
of a lifelong interest in cycling. But
there's another potential in that
first bike—a tragic potential.
Every year about 750 bike riders
are killed in traffic. Thousands of
others escape death but are se-
riously hurt in collisions with
motor vehicles. With the volume of
traffic constantly increasing, these
depressing statistics are bound to
get worse.
Does this mean your boy
shouldn't have a bike? Not at all.
But it does mean that as soon as
he can ride a wobbly path around
your yard or the neighborhood play-
ground, he should be taught bicycle
safety. This means that he should
learn the proper hand signals for
cyclists, should understand and
obey traffic signals, and should get
some help in developing his riding
skills so that he has full control
of his bike at all times. And you and
he would be wise to become fa-
miliar with local regulations about
horns or bells, lights, reflectors, and
licenses.
Sound like a big order? It isn't,
because your boy will love that bike
and will dote on anything concern-
ing it. After he has learned the hand
signals and the meaning of traffic
signals, give him a skill test to see
whether he is really in command
when he mounts his bike.
The following trials are recom-
mended by the Bicycle Institute of
America:
Balance Test. Coast for 30 feet fol-
lowing a straight line not more than
4 inches wide, with the body en-
tirely on the left side of the bike.
The left foot is on the left pedal,
and the right foot pushes off the
ground to provide momentum.
loo
Pedaling and Braking—Mount and
ride 100 feet at average speed,
pedaling and braking correctly, and
then dismount and park the bike.
£ Zo feet ^
Changes in Balance. Ride three
times around a Figure 8 formed by
two touching circles each 20 feet in
diameter.
Maneuvering. Mount and coast 12
feet before turning the pedals more
than a half turn.
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 59, Number 3, May-June 1971, periodical, May 1971; New Brunswick, NJ. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353649/m1/14/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.