The street is often considered an extension of the local playground with children often riding carelessly. The Palmetto Cycling Coalition is committed to changing these statistics in South Carolina. We are working with the Safe Kids Coalition of South Carolina, the South Carolina Department of Transportation, the South Carolina Heritage Tour, DHEC, the cycling clubs of South Carolina and many other governmental agencies to make South Carolina a safer place for our children to ride their bikes. The bicycle safety rodeo is a great way to introduce bike riders ages 4-14 to important skills necessary to safely ride on neighborhood streets with other bicyclists and motor vehicles. Real world skills relate directly to teaching children that South Carolina roads are shared with motorists.
Parents often have too much confidence in their child's cycling abilities.
The children often ride alone or with friends, knowledge of possible dangers in cycling can insure that the children make better decisions while riding. A good rodeo will help parents understand their child's bike weaknesses and encourage them to take an active interest in helping them improve. A good bike safety rodeo will also focus time on bicycle helmet safety, bicycle maintenance as well as safe bicycle riding. Bike safety rodeos also feature a series of bike skill stations that challenge children to learn to control their bikes and to recognize dangers in our neighborhoods and in our home towns. Bike safety rodeos are most often held on a Spring or Fall Saturday when children are most likely to attend and a large parking lot can be reserved for the event.