Bike, scooter & skateboard safety essentials & tips for kids

Bike, scooter and skateboard safety basics for kids

Here’s a list of safety basics for when your child is learning to ride a bike, scooter or skateboard:

Wear a helmet. Helmets are compulsory for all children and adults when riding bikes in all Australian states and territories, and when riding scooters, skateboards and rollerblades in some states.
Make sure your child rides a bicycle, scooter or skateboard that’s suitable for their age, size and ability.
Use protective gear like wrist guards, elbow pads and knee pads when riding a scooter, rollerblading or skateboarding.
Dress your child in brightly coloured clothing. This helps riders, pedestrians and drivers see your child.
Teach your child to look carefully at the riding environment to decide whether it’s safe to ride.
Give your child practice in a safe area, like your backyard or a park, before using a bike path or footpath.
Always make sure a grown-up is with your child while they’re riding, until your child is old enough to ride safely and understand road rules.

Helmets: a safety essential for bikes, scooters and skateboards

A helmet is an essential part of protecting your child against serious head injuries when they’re riding a bike, scooter or skateboard.

What are the helmet laws in Australia?

In all Australian states and territories, helmets are compulsory when riding bikes.
In some states, helmets are compulsory when riding skateboards, scooters, rollerblades and so on. Check with your local road authority.

Note: wearing a helmet is always recommended when your child is riding any wheeled device, even if it isn’t required by law.

How to choose a safe bike or scooter helmet for your child

Check that the bike or scooter helmet meets mandatory standards. Go to ACCC Product Safety – Bicycle helmets mandatory standard.
Take your child with you when buying a helmet to make sure it’s properly fitted.
Do the ‘push test’ to make sure the helmet is a snug fit. If you can push the helmet backwards, forwards or sideways once you’ve done up the clips, it’s too big.
Check the helmet’s condition, even if it’s new. For example, make sure there are no cracks and the foam liner is intact.
Don’t buy a second-hand helmet – there’s no way of knowing if the previous owner has damaged it in an accident.

How to choose a safe skateboard helmet for your child

Be aware that there’s no Australian Standard for skateboarding helmets.
Use a helmet designed for skateboarding, not a bike helmet. A skateboarding helmet should protect the back of your child’s head.
Use the fitting tips above – try the helmet on your child and do the ‘push test’ before buying.
Check the condition of the helmet.
Don’t buy a second-hand helmet.

How to make sure your child uses their helmet safely

Make sure the chinstrap is firmly fastened and not twisted.
Remove the helmet after use. Helmets can be choking hazards if kids aren’t riding.
Always replace helmets after an impact.

You can set a good example for your child by always wearing a helmet when you’re riding a bike, scooter or skateboard.

Bike safety guidelines for kids

Give your child time, space and practice to learn bike-riding skills

To learn the basic skills of balancing, steering and braking, your child will need:

a lot of time
a flat, open space away from traffic
a soft surface in case of falls.

Then your child will need time and practice to develop skills for riding safely on the street and in traffic. The skills include:

controlling the bike on different road surfaces
following road rules for both cyclists and drivers, like staying to the left, obeying road signs and giving way to pedestrians
making the signals for turning and passing
being aware of other riders, drivers and pedestrians and predicting what they’re going to do
approaching driveways, laneways and intersections slowly and carefully
passing parked vehicles slowly and carefully
walking the bike across pedestrian crossings instead of riding across the street.

These skills are still developing until your child is about 12-13 years old. Extra riding lessons from a school-based bicycle education program can help your child develop these skills.

Make sure your child’s bike is the right size

The bike is the right size if your child can straddle the bike and touch the ground with both feet at the same time. Your child will need to change to bigger bikes as they grow.

A lot of injuries happen because a child is trying to ride a bike that’s too big.

Check the condition of your child’s bike

It’s important to regularly check the condition of bikes, especially before use. To check that a bike is in good working order, make sure that it has:

correctly working brakes
a well-oiled chain that isn’t loose
fully inflated and firm tyres, with no bald spots or patches
pedals that spin freely and easily
a clear bell or horn in good working order
a clean and secure white light at the front
a clean and secure red light and red reflector at the back
a firm seat that’s adjusted to your child’s height
handlebar grips and covered handlebar ends.

Make sure your child has protective bike gear

Your child must wear:

a properly fitted and firmly fastened bike helmet
enclosed footwear to protect their feet if they get caught in the spokes or chain or your child uses their feet as brakes
brightly coloured clothing so other riders, drivers and pedestrians can see them.

Encourage your child to ride on bike paths if possible

Bike paths are the best place for learning and practising, but in some states and territories, children up to a certain age and the adults supervising them can legally ride on footpaths. Check with your local council for information about your area.

If your child wants or needs to ride on footpaths and this is allowed in your area, make sure that your child:

rides with you or another supervising adult
watches for vehicles turning into and coming out of driveways and laneways
cycles slowly and carefully around other people and dogs.

Cycling situations for your child to avoid

Wet weather – riding in wet weather needs different skills and extra caution. It’s best for your child to avoid this when they’re young and still learning bike safety basics.
Night-time – your child shouldn’t ride at night. To ride at night, you need special equipment like lights and visibility vests. You also need good traffic awareness and understanding of driver behaviour.
Stunt riding – behaviour like ‘look no hands’ and ‘dinking’ is dangerous.

Is it legal for your child to ride an e-bike? The laws vary across Australian states and territories, so check with your state or territory road authority before letting your child use an e-bike.

Scooter safety guidelines for kids

Hospitals report many children arriving at emergency departments after falling off metal scooters. Here’s how to minimise the risks.

Give your child time, space and practice to learn scooting skills

Supervise your child as they learn to use the scooter in a safe place, like a dual footpath/bike path, which is away from roads, driveways and steep slopes.
Find out whether your local skate park offers scooter lessons.
Supervise your child when they’re riding a scooter on the streets before judging whether they can scoot alone safely.
Teach your child road safety rules.

Make sure your child has protective scooter gear

Your child should wear:

a properly fitted and firmly fastened helmet
knee and elbow pads
wrist guards to protect against broken wrists.

Check the condition of your child’s scooter

Check that the scooter has:

good brakes – check the brakes regularly because they’ll wear down as they get older
no sharp edges
a steering column that locks easily, won’t collapse and isn’t too short for your child
a bell or horn
handlebar grips that don’t swivel
a running board high off the ground
anti-skid footboards.

Scooter lights are a legal requirement for night-time – a white light at the front, and a red light and red reflector at the back. But your child shouldn’t scoot at night.

Is it legal for your child to ride a motorised scooter or skateboard? It’s legal for children under 16 years to ride low-powered motorised scooters. But Australian state and territory laws vary on more powerful devices like eScooters and eSkateboards. Check with your state or territory road authority before letting your child use these devices.

Skateboard, rollerblade and rollerskate safety guidelines for kids

Give your child time, space and practice to learn skating skills

Always supervise young children when they’re skating, rollerblading or rollerskating.
Start your child off in your own backyard, in a park, on a bike path or at a skate park with beginner slopes.
Teach your child to skate within their limits. Complicated tricks take practice, so make sure your child builds up to them.
Discourage your child from skating, rollerblading or rollerskating on the footpath or road – they’re much more likely to have a crash near cars or pedestrians.
Tell your child not to skate at night except in a well-lit skate park.

Teach your child how to fall safely

Here are tips for falling safely:

Bend your knees and get down low.
Try to fall sideways, not backwards or head first.
Try to land on your shoulder and roll.
Fall onto your pads.
Kick the board out from under your feet.

It’s a good idea to give your child falling practice on a grassy patch before they go to the skate park.

Make sure your child has protective gear

Your child should wear:

a properly fitted and firmly fastened skate helmet that protects the back of the head and sits just above the eyebrows
wrist guards to protect against broken wrists
elbow and knee pads
enclosed footwear
brightly coloured clothing.

Check size and condition of the skateboard, rollerblades or rollerskates

Make sure the skateboard, rollerblades or rollerskates are suited to your child’s size and the type of skating they do.
Check and maintain the skateboard, rollerblades or roller skates regularly, especially the wheels.