Bike Safety - It Doesn't Cost a Lot to Keep Your Kids Safe

We all have pet peeves. Now that spring has sprung, one of my major ones as a driver has resurfaced yet again; people, both young and old, riding their bikes without the equipment that could help to prevent them from becoming intimately acquainted with the hood of a car.

Basic bike safety equipment seems to have been deemed unnecessary in recent years. And, really, it doesn't have to cost a lot to ensure you and your kids have the proper gear.

Nighttime driving is the worst. Although the thought of hitting anyone with my car makes me sick, the scariest thing to me is seeing a child riding his bike at night with no headlight or, indeed any reflective material on the fenders whatsoever. My headlights aren't enough. Quite often, I don't see your child until I'm nearly right up to him.

The point is, there are some very basics things a bicycle should have before it heads out onto the road and you can get them for a lot less than you might think. Check out Dollarama for some of the smaller items. The quality is good and the price is right.

Bicycle Headlight - This is, essentially, a small flashlight for your bike. It runs on four AAA batteries that you buy separately and has five bright led lights. The cost? $1.50. There's really no excuse not to go safely at night.

Reflective Tape - Two rolls of reflective strips cost just $1. This would be great on bicycle fenders, backpacks, anything on or around you that you want seen by oncoming cars at night.

Reflective Bike Clips - It's annoying at the best of times to have your pant leg caught in the gears. It's beyond annoying if jammed gears cause you to fall over in front of traffic. These bike clips come in a package of two for a buck.

Bike Mirror - Positioned correctly on handlebars, bike riders can see what's coming up behind them and act accordingly. They're only a buck each at the dollar store. Buy one for every bike in the garage.

Bell or Horn - For a buck, you can install one of these on your young child's handlebars. Tell them to use it whenever they ride on the sidewalk, before they glide silently up behind a hapless pedestrian. I've been startled like this before when I was walking the dog and as Christie is prone to lunging at bikes, had I not already had a tight rein on her, it could have been bad for both the kid and the dog.


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Marlene Alexander is a freelance writer and Dollar Store Diva. She writes tips and tricks for using the best that dollar stores have to offer.