Florida Child Injury Law Blog

Posts Tagged ‘bicycle’

Fishhawk Ranch had its first annual Bicycle Rodeo to show children how to safely operate a bicycle and practice smart tips on riding on the street. The event was sponsored by South Florida Baptist Hospital and was held in a parking lot adjacent to FishHawk’s Park Square.  The event was an outreach of the St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Children’s Advocacy Center, located in Tampa.

According to the article, the bicycle safety event was held from11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with about 35 children taking advantage of learning how to ride a bicycle, both smartly and safely. A road course was setup to give children real life scenerios to help them know what to do when confronted with a similar situation.

This type of program helps inform children and parents of the dangers of bicycle riding. We  thank all of those  involved in educating children about  the correct way to safely ride a bicycle in situations they will likely face.

Dan Connaughton, a professor in the University of Florida Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sports management is a man on a mission! The mission…to reduce the number of severe injuries and fatal accidents children suffer from bicycle and traffic crashes.

In 2008, Florida held the dubious distinction of having more bicyclists killed in car crashes than any other state – even surpassing California which has twice the population. Last year, 118 bicyclists died in accidents in Florida.

The Florida Traffic and Bicycle Safety Education Program will be designed to teach child the lifelong skills required to be safe abd responsible cyclists and pedestrians. Connaughton was awarded a 3 year contract by the Florida DOT to direct statewide FREE workshops to “teach the teachers” bicycle and traffic safety tips they can instruct their students. The curriculum is designed for elementary, middle and high schools.

The workshops are already being planned throughout the state of Florida. School districts interested in hosting the workshops can contact the program at 352-392-4042, ext. 1370.