Bicycle Safety:Personal Story
Jessica Cox Age 12
H. C. Lea School

I took a bicycle safety course at Neighborhood Bicycle Works. Miss McKinney at Lea School came to my class and told us about it. NBW teaches you about safety for bike riders. Some of the things I learned are to signal when turning, don't ride on the pavement, the right tools to use if you get a flat, how to change the tire, how to fix the brakes and to always wear a helmet. My story of a bicycle accident shows that wearing a helmet is the most important safety rule.

I wasn't wearing a helmet. I was riding down a hill at 44th Street in West Philadelphia. My big cousin, Sam, and I were going very fast. Sam came down the hill first and turned into the parking lot. I followed him down real fast. Suddenly, people were in my way. I swerved not to hit them and crashed into the blue mailbox, the one you mail your letters in. My bike rammed into the mailbox and I flew off of it and I fell on the ground face first. Blood gushed from my nose. I fell like my nose was broken. My lip was busted and I had a blood clot on the gum above my front teeth.

Some went to get my mother and three brothers who lived on the same block. My mother carried me around the corner and call 911. My brothers were looking at my mouth. Blood was pouring from it and I was crying. The ambulance came but didn't take me to the hospital. They put a warm compress on my mouth and told my mother to keep me awake in case I had a concussion. I soon felt very sleepy. My mother wouldn't let me go to sleep.

I was lucky. When you are riding a bike you shouldn't go fast. You should go slow or medium. You should never go faster than cars. I wasn't wearing a helmet and I could have really hurt my head. I think you should wear a helmet. If you don't wear a helmet and get in a situation like I was in something terrible could happen.

Jessica's essay was one of the winners in the Bike Writers contest