A Close Call With A Child On A Bicycle Should Serve As A Wake-Up Call To Parents
I am writing this because something happened to me that should not have happened in the first place.
After a long and exhausting workday, I was driving home when I encountered a young child riding a small bicycle in the middle of the road, after dark, without a helmet, and without any reflectors or visible safety equipment. I nearly hit him.
Let me be blunt: This was not a minor safety issue. This was a situation that could have ended with a child being killed or permanently disabled.
And I want to make one thing very clear: Not everything that gets called an “accident” is truly unavoidable. When a dangerous situation is preventable through basic precautions, we need to recognize that there is responsibility involved. If a child is knowingly riding in the middle of the road at night without a helmet, lights, or reflectors, that is not simply bad luck. It is preventable negligence and a serious failure to take basic safety precautions.
And let’s be clear: Drivers cannot always see a child riding a bicycle in the middle of the road at night. Even a responsible driver can only react to what they can see. When a child has no helmet, no lights, no reflectors, and is riding in the roadway after dark, the risk becomes enormous.
Parents and children need to take this seriously.
Wear a helmet. Use lights and reflectors. Stay out of the middle of the road. Make yourself visible. Teach your children that being careful is not optional.
I understand that kids want to ride their bikes and have fun. I did too. But getting home safely should always come first.
We are fortunate that this particular incident did not end in tragedy. Let’s not wait until a child is seriously injured or killed before we decide that this is a problem worth addressing.
As a community, we need to do better. Parents need to be aware of where and how their children are riding, and children need to understand that the road is not a playground.
A few seconds of inconvenience are nothing compared to a lifetime of disability or a life lost.
If something is preventable, we have a responsibility to prevent it.
Let’s stop calling preventable behavior an “accident” after someone gets hurt. Take the precautions now, before the consequences are irreversible.
The views expressed in this letter do not necessarily represent those of Monsey Scoop. Have an opinion you’d like to share? Send it to us for review.
