BICYCLE ACCIDENTS IN CHILDHOOD

From a total of 4589 accident cases reported from nine Sydney hospitals during 1978, 312 children, 50% of whom were five to nine years old, were injured while riding bicycles. An in-depth investigation of 139 cases showed that motor vehicles were involved on only three occasions; the children were injured as a result of inexperience and misuse. These results indicate the value of developing and implementing bicycle education programmes for younger children, especially those aged five to nine years. Equal emphasis should be given both to traffic safety instruction and to basic riding skills.