Transport for NSW recommendations for riding.

• Children under 8 years old should always be supervised and should ride away from busy roads and in safe places such as parks and backyards.
• Children under 10 years old should be closely supervised while riding. Parents and carers should ride along with them on the footpath.
• Children under 16 can continue to ride on the footpath.

Helmet safety

• Always wear a correctly fitted and worn helmet.
  • There should be no more than two fingers’ width between your eyebrows and the helmet.
  • You should fit no more than two fingers between the helmet strap and your chin.
  • The straps should form a 'V' just below your ears.
  • Have an adult check the helmet’s fit.

Keep the device well-maintained

• Regularly check the condition of your child's bike, scooter or skateboard to ensure safety. This includes the wheels, handlebars, brakes, frame, and ensuring it’s the correct size for the rider.

Minimise distractions

Keep phones and earphones away to maintain focus and safety.

Know the road rules

Practice safe riding habits and reinforce the importance of following road rules, including:

• riding on the left side of footpaths
• giving pedestrians the right of way on footpaths
• watching for cars entering or leaving driveways
• dismounting when crossing intersections, pedestrian crossings.

Riding Together

• Parents and carers should ride in safe places until they are at least 10 years old. Safe places to ride are off-road areas away from vehicles and driveways.
• You can ride together on footpaths until your child turns 16 unless otherwise signposted.
• Accompanying your child while they ride to school is an excellent way to:
  • teach safe riding practices
  • enjoy outdoor physical activity
  • incorporate exercise into their daily routine
  • be extra cautious near busy roads and driveways.

For older children

When deciding if they are ready to ride independently consider:

• safety of the travel route
• their riding skills and ability to manage unexpected hazards
• their awareness of their surroundings and traffic environment.

Other information

Transport for NSW

• Visit Safety Town - for families safety on wheels
• Helmet safety
• Safe riding advice
• Information for parents and carers about safety on wheels (385.44KB)

• E-bikes advice for families TfNSW (PDF - 1.5MB)

• E-scooter advice for families TfNSW (PDF -1.5MB)

Department of Education

• Ride a bicycle safely (pdf 1258.46KB) Translations available in 36 languages
• A guide to bicycle maintenance (PDF)
• A guide to wheeled devices maintenance such as skateboards, rollerblades and scooters (PDF)
• Correctly fitting a helmet guide (PDF 164 KB)