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SIDNEY — “As I sit here looking outside, I see snow,” said Shelby County Sheriff John Lenhart during his Tuesday interview. “I thought spring was right around the corner.”

Even with the snowflakes falling, Lenhart talked about bicycle safety as both kids and adults will bringing their bicycles out of storage in preparation for rides around the county.

“Kids under 10 should not ride on the streets,” said Lenhart. “They should ride their bikes on sidewalks or on the pathways in our parks.”

Lenhart said in 2017 there were more than 488,000 injuries related to bicycle crashes. There were 1,100 deaths last year in the U.S. of cyclists or passengers.

“Basketball is the only sport that has more injuries than people riding bicycles,” said Lenhart. “Football injures is next on the list.”

In Ohio, there were 1,548 bicycle injuries, he said, with 19 deaths. In Shelby county, there were eight injuries and no deaths.

If you’re purchasing a bicycle for yourself or a child, a person should pick the correct size bicycle.

“My parents always said you should buy a bicycle and clothes and then grow into them,” said Lenhart. “That’s not a good idea. You need to buy the right size bicycle for the person.”

Handbrakes on a bicycle are a good safety feature, he said. Everyone should wear a helmet and make sure to use the strap to hold it onto your head.

“In 60 percent of accidents, the person is not wearing a helmet,” said Lenhart.

Before riding a bicycle, the cyclist should make sure all the mechanics or the bike, such as the chains and tires, are in good working order. Bright neon-colored clothing should be worn during a day ride. If you’re riding a bike at night, make sure it’s equipped with red and white lights.

“It’s not a good idea to ride a bike at night,” said Lenhart.

The rider should should use hand signals when making a turn and have a mirror on the bicycle to see vehicles coming up behind them.

“You should never have headphones on or use cellphones while riding,” said Lenhart. “You should be riding in the same direction of vehicles. If you’re riding with other people ride in single file. Obey all the traffic signals and signs.

“I see kids running red lights,” he said. “Don’t do that. That’s a recipe for getting hurt.”

Cyclists should not swerve in and out of traffic, he said.

“They need to pay attention to parked vehicles,” said Lenhart. “If the driver opens the door, the bicycle could run into it causing injuries.”

A cyclists, he said, should make eye contact with the drivers of other vehicles.

“You should also know your bike’s capability,” he said. “Always use hand signals. Don’t hold onto another vehicle and let them pull you.

“Watch out when you’re entering traffic,” he said. “Make sure you look left and right to make sure no other vehicles are coming. Wear bright colors. There should be no night riding. Have a horn or a bell on your bicycle along with a rear-view mirror.”

And finally, he said, keep both hands on the handlebars when riding the bicycle.

“I see kids all the time riding with no hands on the handlebars,” said Lenhart. “If they hit a hole in the street, you’re going to have a dangerous situation.”

With spring just around the corner, make it your No. 1 priority to have a safe bicycling season, concluded Lenhart.

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By Melanie Speicher

[email protected]

The writer conducts a weekly interview to update readers with news from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, 555 Gearhart Road, Sidney.

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