Kids learn to ride safe
Rankin Inlet RCMP, local organizations join to teach children about bike safety and care
Candace Thomson
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, July 23, 2014
RANKIN INLET
About 50 children in Rankin Inlet took advantage of a bike safety demonstration put on by the RCMP and Nunavut Public Health on July 14.
Seven-year-old Scarlett Autut-Mimialik, left, gets her new helmet adjusted by RCMP Const. Jennifer Wright at the Rankin Inlet bike rodeo on July 14. - Candace Thomson/NNSL photo |
There was a free barbecue for the children and their parents in the midst of trying on free helmets - the centre gave away 55 of them on a first-come-first-serve basis. Attendees also went through a series of activities led by RCMP Const. Kevin Beymen.
"We're just showing the kids how to be safe on their bikes and how to do simple maintenance," Beymen said as he adjusted the seat on six-year-old Zach Wieb's bicycle.
The bike rodeo was planned for July 11 but bad weather had them change the date, and it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day to host the event.
The day started off with a presentation on bike safety by Cielo Smith with Nunavut Public Health, in which she taught children the important lesson of the proper way to put on a helmet and why it's crucial to wear them.
"Helmets protect your head and your brain," Smith said during the presentation.
She also taught them how to ride a bike with the right seat height, frame length and the proper equipment needed on a bike, such as lights and reflectors, reflective tape and a horn or bell to alert drivers and anyone else on the road that they're nearby.
The children also learned the rules of the road, how to signal when taking a turn and, though there are no crosswalks in Rankin Inlet, that one should always walk their bike through a crosswalk.
When the presentation was over, the kids went out with Beymen and Const. Jennifer Wright, both new to Rankin Inlet. They learned how to weave through obstacles and come to a quick stop on their bikes safely.
Parents and event volunteers watched and cheered on the children as they went through the exercises and picked up skills that will help them out on the roads.
Along with the RCMP detachment and the local health officials, the Northern Store and Co-op provided food for the barbecue and the Areva mining company also helped out with some of the costs of putting on the bike rodeo.
"They've been very generous in their support and we couldn't have put it on without them," Beymen said.
