Concerns for under-11 cyclists

Children should be supervised while riding their bikes to school until they are 11, a new study recommends.

Rebecca Bromell, a University of Otago medical student and principal investigator for the study, said the findings showed if there was to be a recommended age when children could safely cycle unsupervised, it should be 11.

NZ Transport Agency guidelines say children should be supervised while biking until about the age of 10.

‘‘Although there is no precise age, as we found 8-year-olds that could do it and 11-year-olds that couldn't. It all depends on the child,'' Ms Bromell, who undertook the study as part of a summer research scholarship, said.

NZTA said it would look at the study results.

In the study, funded by the Child Injury Prevention Foundation of New Zealand, 293 children, aged 8-12, in Omakau, Alexandra and Clyde were tested on manoeuvrability, helmet-wearing and the safety of their bikes.

For the manoeuvrability test, children biked down a cycle lane, signalled left or right and looked over their shoulders, without losing control or veering outside the lines.

It found a jump in competency for children from the ages of 10 (76% pass rate) and 11 (91% pass rate).

The study found 40% of children wore helmets incorrectly, one-third had bicycles with badly worn brake pads, 29% had poorly inflated tyres.

‘‘If tyres aren't pumped and a child takes sudden evasive action, they aren't in control.''Basing the study in Central Otago was one of its limitations: ‘‘You can't necessarily extrapolate the results nationwide.''

Eighty percent of children tested passed the manoeuvrability test overall compared with 91% of children who regularly biked to school.

‘‘That doesn't mean you can just let your children learn to bike on the streets on their own, as it takes a long time to become competent,'' the study said.

The Terrace School principal Garry Anderson, of Alexandra, whose pupils were among those tested, said helmet and brake pad findings were ‘‘concerning''.

The school's policy on unsupervised biking was based on NZTA recommendations, but it would now also point parents to the study, he said.

Otago Primary Principals' Association president Hamish McDonald said bike safety guidelines differed between different schools, but ‘‘it is always a concern to hear of or know that children may be using helmets incorrectly or have incorrectly functioning bikes.''

A pilot programme operating in South Dunedin schools addressed many of the concerns raised and might be introduced into more schools, he said.

NZTA national cycling manager Dougal List said the agency would ‘‘absolutely look at this study to see if it should impact recommendations.''

jono.edwards@odt.co.nz


 -by Jono Edwards

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement