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How to Plan a Bicycle Derby
What is How to Plan a Bicycle Derby?
How To Plan A Bicycle
Derby is a
manual used by someone who wishes to organize a derby for children who
drive bicycles and use in-line skates. The manual assists the derby
organizer in setting up a planning committee, choosing a date and
location, recruiting volunteers, setting up a registration area, and
obtaining prizes and refreshments. A diagram is included to assist the
organizer and volunteers in setting up the derby course, including
descriptions of each derby station. To conclude your derby, a quiz
called Find the Twelve Hazards is available to copy and distribute to derby
participants. Additional bicycle safety handout materials are available.
Why are bicycle derbies needed?
Children who drive
bicycles need to know about the dangers around them at all times. Most
importantly, they need to know about the importance of wearing a
properly-fitted helmet. Each year crashes involving cyclists cause
approximately 900 deaths, 23,000 hospital admissions, 580,000 emergency
room visits, and 1.2 million visits to physician offices and clinics in
the U.S. Bicycle deaths per million people rise rapidly beginning at age
four and are highest among 13-year-olds. Death rates are also high among
12- and 15-year-old bicyclists.
What do children learn from bicycle derbies?
First and foremost,
children learn the importance of wearing a properly-fitted bicycle
helmet. No child is allowed to go through the derby course without first
having their helmet properly fitted (in-line skaters included). The
course also teaches children how to: 1) avoid dangers such as wet leaves,
gravel, traffic lights, driveways, etc; 2) how to use proper hand signals;
and 3) to follow the same traffic rules as motor vehicles including
abiding stop signs and yielding to pedestrians.
Contact:
To learn more about
bicycle derbies, receive bicycle safety materials or a bike derby planning
manual, contact (717) 766-1616, 1 (800) 822-2358 or
atspa@atspa.org
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