POLICE URGE BIKE SAFETY; 2 BOYS HURT

Two accidents in one week involving children on bicycles have prompted Cape Girardeau police to remind children and parents of the need for bicycle safety.

Shortly after 6 a.m. Wednesday, Michael Ray Pridemore, 13, of Cape Girardeau was struck by a vehicle and seriously injured when he attempted to cross the street on his bicycle.

Police said Pridemore, who was northbound on Country Club Lane, tried to cross the street at the crest of a hill. As he crossed, a southbound vehicle came over the hill. When the driver saw Pridemore, he swerved, trying to avoid the boy, but hit him in the middle of the road, police said.

Pridemore was taken to Southeast Missouri Hospital in critical condition. His condition Thursday had been upgraded to serious but stable.

Exactly one week earlier, on June 24, Chase Johnson, 8, was struck by a vehicle in the 1200 block of South Sprigg when he and his friends tried to cross the street on their bicycles.

Police said Johnson and two of his friends were coming out of an inclined driveway and attempting to cross the street shortly before 9 p.m. His friends were able to cross safely, but Johnson was struck.

Johnson was taken to Southeast Missouri Hospital in critical condition. He has since been released.

Neither of the drivers was issued summonses.

Figures supplied by the Cape Girardeau Area Safe Kids Coalition show that in 1996 five cyclists were killed and 844 injured in Missouri. Nationwide, 761 cyclists were killed and 59,000 were injured that same year.

Of all the 1996 Missouri bicycle traffic accidents, 84.4 percent occurred from April through October. One person was killed or injured in a bicycle traffic accident in the state every 10.3 hours that year.

Males made up the vast majority of those involved in the accidents. Statewide, 84.7 percent were male. Nationally, 86 percent who were killed were male and 80 percent of the injured were male.

For children under 15 years of age, 30 percent of the accidents were the result of children riding out of a driveway on a bicycle without stopping to see if cars were approaching. An additional 30 percent is caused by cyclists running stop signs, and yet another 30 percent by cyclists turning left without yielding.

Cpl. Kevin Orr of the Cape Girardeau Police Department said parents need to remind their children to follow some basic safety rules when they ride their bikes on city streets.

"When riding a bicycle, they need to remember to go with the traffic in a single file," Orr said. "They should never cross the road at the crest of a hill or on a curve, they should always check behind them, and they should be aware of their surroundings," he said.

Most importantly, children should know to follow the same rules of the road as other people using the roads. They should obey all stop signs and traffic lights, use hand signals and yield the right of way, Orr said.

Orr also encouraged parents to make sure their children are wearing the proper equipment such as helmets to prevent head injury and shoes that are tied tightly.

Bicycles should also be equipped properly to prevent accidents. Currently, city ordinances require that bicycles be equipped with red reflectors on the back and amber or colorless reflectors on the pedals and spokes of the wheels.

Cyclists who operate their bicycles between a half hour after sunset and a half hour before sunrise are required by city ordinance to have and use a headlight on their cycles that can be seen from at least 500 feet away under normal atmospheric conditions.

City police and Safe Communities operate a summer bicycle safety program that allows parents and children to learn more about bicycle safety. The program, which runs from Monday through Thursday, is taught by either a police officer or a member of Safe Communities.

Children are taught not only in a classroom at Washington School but are also taken to the Safety Village at Park and Fountain where they receive practical experience in riding a bike on road conditions.

The cost of the program is $10. Children, ages 6 to 10, may participate even if they do not own a bicycle. Bicycles used in the program are provided by the police department. Students who complete the program will be given a bicycle helmet.

Those interested may sign up through the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department or through Safe Communities.