KIDS CAN BIKE

 

OVERVIEW

 

The Kids CAN-BIKE Festival is a bicycle safety skills development program for children. Two hours of playground instruction are provided during the festival. The instruction addresses specific bicycle safety topics: helmet and clothing check, bicycle check, straight-line riding, shoulder checking, signaling, and stopping and starting. Children spent approximately 15 minutes at each of the safety stations. An evaluation at the three-month follow-up found no impacts on any bike safety behavior or knowledge outcomes.

 

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

 

Target population: School children 8 to 13 years of age.

 

The Kids CAN-BIKE Festival is an introductory-level bicycle safety skills program for children. Two hours of playground instruction are provided during the festival, which takes place during the afternoon. Safety instructions are administered by trained and certified professionals. The festival includes six separate stations that address a specific bicycle safety topic: helmet and clothing inspection, bicycle check, straight-line riding, shoulder checking, signaling, and stopping and starting. Children spend approximately 15 minutes at each of the safety stations. While spending time at each station, children are also taught important safety information, for example, that zigzagging your bicycle on the road is a risky behavior.

 

 

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

 

Macarthur C, Parking PC, Sidky M, Wallace W. (1998). Evaluation of a bicycle skills training program for young children: a randomized controlled trial. Injury Prevention, 4:116-121.

 

Evaluated population: A total of 141 4^th grade students were enrolled in the study. The study children were between nine and 10 years of age and were from the Borough of East York, Toronto, Canada.

 

Approach: Six schools were randomized to the Kids Can Bike festival intervention group (n=73) or the control group (n=68). Children were assessed at baseline and again at three-months after the intervention on behavior-related bicycle safety outcomes including: riding in a straight line, coming to a complete stop, and shoulder checking before making a left turn; children were also assessed on their knowledge and attitudes such as, “Do you need to wear a helmet if you are cycling on a bike path?”

 

Results: At follow-up, there were no impacts on riding in a straight line, coming to a complete stop, and shoulder checking before making a left turn. There were also no impacts on any of the knowledge or attitude measures between the two groups.

 

 

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

 

For more information about the Kids CAN-BIKE program of Canada, please visit:

http://www.canbike.net/cca_pages/cb_kcb.htm

 

 

References

Macarthur C, Parking PC, Sidky M, Wallace W. (1998). Evaluation of a bicycle skills training program for young children: a randomized controlled trial. Injury Prevention, 4:116-121.

 

 

SUMMARY & CATEGORIZATION

 

Evaluated participant ages: Children (3-11)

 

Program components: School-based, Community-based

 

Measured outcomes: Physical health

 

KEYWORDS: Children (3-11), Co-ed, School-based, Community-based, Helmet Use, Other Safety

 

Program information last updated 2/25/10.

 

		© Child Trends 2004