Bikes and scooters are popular with kids, with battery powered devices becoming increasingly popular. Mountain bikes are going faster and the trails more challenging. However, this all comes with potential danger and accounts for a large number of hospital admissions each year. It is important to comply with Tasmanian laws and product standards, and take appropriate precautions to reduce the risk of serious injury to your child.

Kidsafe Tasmania has developed some fact sheets to assist kids and parents with bike safety, the importance of helmets, the rule around ebikes and some useful information on maintaining bikes for increased safety. The fact sheets:

Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs) fact sheet - Examples of PMDs include e-scooters and e-skateboards. Fact sheet outlines the new rules for PMDs

Bicycle Helmets Fact Sheet - Helmets are the most important piece of safety equipment for cyclists, and must meet the Australian Standard.

Bike Safety Fact Sheet - The aim is for good bike handling, concentration and awareness skills, parental supervision for younger kids.

Bike Maintenance and Repair fact sheet - a bike it needs to be maintained on a regular basis. It will last for years if you look after tyres, brake pads, cables etc.

Kids on Wheels fact sheet - safety information for all wheels devices - bikes, scooters, skateboards, roller blades, tricycles and safety equipment.

"Helmet Up! Safe Kids, Strong Standards" - Kidsafe Tasmania’s bike helmet safety project

Kidsafe Tasmania is committed to ensuring children stay safe while riding bikes, scooters and skateboards. Our new "Helmet Up! Safe Kids, Strong Standards" project is focusing on promoting the importance of correctly fitted helmets that meet the Australian Standard (AS/NZS 2063). We have seen several unnecessary deaths on Tasmanian roads recently.

Riding a bike is a fun and healthy activity that our kids can do from a young age. Up until about the age of 10, parental supervision is important to keep kids safe. As they get more confident and their bike skills increase, the daredevil in them emerges - they may want to go faster, jump over things and take up bike activities such as mountain bike riding, with various degrees of risk.

Through the "Helmet Up! Safe Kids, Strong Standards" project, we aim to:

• Educate Families – Raise awareness about the Australian Standard for bicycle helmets and why choosing a compliant helmet matters for maximum protection.
• Promote Correct Fitting – Demonstrate and provide resources on how to properly fit a helmet to ensure it offers the best possible protection against head injuries.
• Encourage Consistent Use – Remind families that helmets should be worn every time a child rides, no matter how short the trip.
• Community Engagement – Attend activities and events to reinforce helmet safety messages and provide hands-on fitting guidance. Work with businesses selling helmets to provide information to families purchasing helmets for their kids to make sensible choices based on facts.
• Advocate for Safer Practices – Work with policymakers and stakeholders to ensure strong helmet safety messaging