Chatham Police Department reminds parents to teach safe biking habits

CHATHAM, Ill. (WAND) - School is out for summer, which means more kids are taking advantage of warm weather. One of the primary ways the Chatham Police Department sees kids enjoying the weather is riding their bikes.

Officer David Leach has responded to several calls where kids weren't using their bikes safely. He wants to make sure kids do everything they can to avoid any accidents.

"Step one is getting the bike helmet on," Leach said. "Step two is making sure to properly fit it and adjust it ... so it covers and protects the whole head."

Leach said they see incidents every year where kids' helmets fall too far back on their head and leave their forehead uncovered. If they hit a curb and go over their handlebars, they will likely get injured.

Leach said helmets, especially brightly colored ones, have the added benefit of ensuring kids riding their bikes are visible to drivers. This is helpful whether they ride on the sidewalk or street.

"We've had some close calls before where kids are riding where they should be on the sidewalks, but they don't see cars backing up," Leach said. "So just like we encourage motorists to watch behind them and check their mirrors, we encourage kids to check for brake lights."

Leach said he tries to teach kids to look at the back of cars to make sure there aren't any lights on. He also encourages parents to ensure cyclists have lights or reflectors on their bikes if they will be outside at night.

A new issue Leach is seeing includes kids being distracted on their bikes. He has seen an increase in kids texting and biking.

"I just saw a kid yesterday that was texting on his phone and sometimes looking up with one hand on the handlebars and then looking down and he almost went off a curb," Leach said. "Thankfully he didn't, but it was a reminder. Just like it's dangerous to drive distracted in a vehicle. It's also dangerous to ride distracted on your bicycle. So don't do it."

The Chatham Police Department has a special rewards program for kids on bikes over the summer. If they see kids with helmets on, looking both ways and generally using safe habits, they will provide them with a special ticket for free ice cream at a local shop.