Parents fail kid's cycle MOT test
Posted on in Cycles News
Survey suggests childrens bikes don't receive high enough level of maintenance
A new nationwide family cycling survey undertaken by leading children's bike specialist Frog Bikes has revealed that only 23.6% of parents give their child's bike an annual safety check and MOT, with a majority (60.6%) preferring ad hoc repairs carried out at home and 15.8% admitting to never subjecting their child's bike to an MOT. In fact 75% of children's bikes are never taken to a bike shop for servicing.
Frog Bikes Technical Manager Stephen Johnson explains "Just like an adult bike a child's bike is not just a toy and also needs to be inspected and serviced by a qualified mechanic at least once a year, all the moving parts such as cables, bearings, brake pads, chain and tyres over a period of time will start to wear and if not attended to could become unsafe and in extreme cases dangerous to ride. A basic service/ inspection at a reputable bike store is not expensive and would give you peace of mind knowing your child is safe as well as keeping up the bikes second hand value."
The survey's key findings include:
- 84.5% of parents teach their child to ride with a helmet
- 85.1% of adults believe helmets should be made compulsory when
cycling on the road - 87.9% of parents want their child to complete a cycle proficiency test before embarking on the roads
- 74.1% would be prepared to pay to pay for a cycling proficiency course and test for their children
- 22.8% of parents state fear of the roads as a reason for preventing their children from cycling more often
Despite major concerns about road safety over 99% of parents still believe learning to cycle is important. 71% of parents believed their children should cycle more than they currently do yet the largest proportion of participants (38.6%) answered that they didn't have enough time to do so. The most popular reason given for cycling being important for children was that it is felt to be an essential life skill (39.1%), followed by health benefits (30.7%).
According to Shelley Lawson of Frog Bikes, "However proficient a parent believes he or she is at cycle repairs there is a lot to be said for getting an annual cycle check and MOT from a cycle specialist. Especially as road safety is such an issue with parents, 87.9% of whom want their children to have completed a cycle proficiency test before embarking on the roads."
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