Wheeler students learn bike safety

Riding bikes is just as much a part of summer for kids as going to the pool and playing a pick-up game of baseball. That’s why, just before Wheeler Avenue School fourth-graders went on summer vacation, they were given some bicycle safety tips.

Before kids could ride around the back lot, their bike was inspected by local bicycle shop owner Tommy Cuccias. He has owned Valley Stream Bicycle on Merrick Road for the past 20 years. He has been helping out with Wheeler’s bike rodeo since the first year he has owned his shop.

Cuccias, who also attended Wheeler for kindergarten and later saw his own kids participate in the bike rodeo, said he checks the brakes on each bike, ensures that the handlebars are tight and that the tires are properly inflated. “I check everything for safety,” he said. “As long as something needs an adjustment, that’s OK, as long as it’s not dangerous.”

After the bike check, there is one more step before children can go riding — the helmet. Cuccias checks to make sure that not only is every kid wearing one, but that it is fitted properly and strapped tight.

Before children hit the pavement on their two wheels, Karen Blackburn from AAA did an assembly on bike safety, and spoke about the importance of wearing a helmet.

The June bike rodeo is hosted by the PTA. This year it was organized by Mary Dignam and Galina Lampert. Several parent volunteers watched as students got on their bikes and completed a series of maneuvers including balancing, weaving, riding in a circle, riding in a straight line, stopping, signaling and changing direction.

Dignam said the PTA also raffled off two helmets. She noted that of all lessons, being protected is perhaps the most important. “A lot of kids think it’s not cool to wear a helmet,” she said. “They don’t think anything will happen to them.”