Traffic Safety Course
About the Traffic Safety Course
Located outside the entrance to WakeMed’s PlayWELL Park at the Poe Center, the Traffic Safety Course educates and empowers participants to make healthier, safer choices while being more active as pedestrians, cyclists, scooter riders, and future drivers.
This course supplements the Poe Center’s PlayWELL Park, a multi-sensory and artistic educational park setting, with a permanent interactive installation that mimics a small town.
Children and youth learn important life and safety skills, build confidence, and engage in imaginative play in a real-world, child-sized, enhanced educational environment while using this course.
Helmet Safety
By law, everyone must wear a helmet while riding a bike. Different-sized heads need different-sized helmets, so be sure to check that the helmet fits each head properly. Here are a few best practices:
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- Place the helmet on the head and make sure the front of the helmet isn’t
tilted back. - Only two fingers should fit between the eyebrows and the bottom of the helmet.
- The side straps should form a v-shape just below the ears.
- Adjust the chin strap so two fingers can slide between the chin and the strap.
- The helmet should fit snugly, but the wearer should still be able to open their mouth wide enough to sing and say hello.
- Place the helmet on the head and make sure the front of the helmet isn’t
Hand Signals
Eager to hit the open road with your bike? Here are a few hand signals to help you to communicate with other road users and have a safe and fun experience.
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- Left turn: Extend your left arm out sideways with all fingers extended or use your index finger to point left.
- Right turn: Extend your left arm out sideways bent at a 90-degree angle at the elbow joint, hand pointing upward and the palm of hand facing forward.
- Alternative right turn: Extend your right arm out straight with all fingers extended or use your index finger to point right.
- Stopping or slowing down: Extend your left arm or right arm sideways and bend your arm at a 90-degree angle at the elbow joint, hand pointing downwards and the palm of your hand facing backwards.
Learn more at the link below:
Bike Check
The ABC Quick Check is an easy way to ensure your bike is in good working order before hitting the road.
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- Air: Be sure you have enough air in your tires.
- Brakes: Look to see that your brake pads are not worn.
- Chain and Cranks: Pull on your cranks to see that they are not loose and look to see that the chain is not rusted and it is free of gunk.
- Quick Release: Make sure all quick releases are closed.
- Check: Take a slow, brief ride to check that your bike is working properly.
Learn more in the link below:
The Traffic Safety Course is made possible with the generous support of:
