Road safety for children

As soon as the little ones are safely in the saddle and you want to go on longer bike tours as a family or cycle to kindergarten or school, you can hardly avoid taking part in road traffic. There are a few things you need to keep in mind so that your child can move around in it as safely as possible. We'll tell you which ones.

See and be seen
When people find themselves in tricky situations on the road, it is usually because they are not seen by other road users or are seen too late. For this reason, an essential part of keeping your child safe is making them as visible as possible to other road users . This can of course be done using appropriate protective clothing, but also via the bike itself.

The right protective clothing
Helmets in bright signal colors with integrated lighting, colorful, reflective clothing, reflective tapes and high-visibility vests ensure better visibility for the child, especially in autumn and winter or at dark and twilight. Thanks to reflective material on backpacks and school bags, your child can be clearly seen at all times on the way to kindergarten or school.

Roadworthy bike
In addition to protective clothing, the bicycle itself should also be equipped in accordance with the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (StVZO). Rear and front lights, cat eyes, reflectors, brakes and bells must be present and functional. Since children are sometimes hidden by parked cars due to their size, they are often only seen when crossing the street when they are already on the street. Such dangerous situations can be avoided using pennants mounted on the bicycle, which protrude upwards on thin poles and visually enlarge the bicycle.

Practice makes perfect
Nevertheless, even if the child is “dressed” from head to toe in reflective clothing and the bike is also equipped to be roadworthy, this in no way replaces knowledge of common traffic rules and regular practice of correct behavior in traffic. Therefore, train with your child in practice as often as possible and make them particularly aware of the need to be attentive and careful with other road users on the road. Ideally, you should initially use a safe environment away from danger, such as a traffic training area or a cordoned-off private parking lot. And: Be a good role model! Children imitate the behavior of adults, preferably their own parents.

Already knew?
Children must ride on the sidewalk until they are eight years old. It is even permitted up to the age of ten.

Our conclusion
The more visible your child is to other road users and the better they are familiar with the traffic rules, the safer they can move around in traffic. Bring your child's bike up to date with the StVZO, equip your child with colorful, reflective clothing and regularly practice correct behavior in traffic with them. This way, nothing stands in the way of safe driving fun!