Children learn bicycle safety

Ashley Hayes, 11, returned from her bike ride exclaiming, "I didn't run over any village people."

Ashley and her classmates spent Thursday morning learning bicycle safety rules at Bordewich-Bray Elementary School. As part of the training, they rode through an obstacle course, including a series of cones set up as a village with the cones representing people.

"I did pretty good," Ashley said.

Physical education specialists from three elementary schools teamed up to teach children how to ride safely, including proper hand signals for turning.

"These kids are out on their bikes all the time," said P.E. teacher Linda Hurzel. "We want them following the rules of the road. If we can save one kid from being hurt or killed, then it's very beneficial."

Michael Rupert, 11, will be better equipped to handle traffic after the lesson.

"I learned how to use turn signals," he said. "If you don't use them, cars might run over you from behind because they won't know where you're going."

Students also fine tuned their basic bike-riding skills.

"I learned how to stop," said Alexa Water, 11. "I wasn't really good at stopping before."

Hurzel, Denis Coyne and Laura Valley spent three days teaching the safety classes to fifth-graders at Fremont, Fritsch and Bordewich-Bray elementary schools. Next year, they will teach the same course to students at Mark Twain, Empire and Seeliger elementary schools.

Free helmets were also provided to all students whose parents signed a permission slip.

Students were shown a video of a melon falling to the ground and splattering. Inside a helmet, the melon didn't crack.

"They're getting the idea of how fragile their heads are," Hurzel said.

The program was paid for through a grant co-sponsored by the Carson City School District and the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety.

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Nevada Office of Traffic Safety

www.ots.state.nv.us