Bike 'roadeo' in Regina teaching kids about bicycle safety

With bike season in full cycle, Regina's RCMPHeritage Centre teamed up with SGIto put ona "bike roadeo."

The eventteaches kids about bike inspection, helmet inspection, intersection safety andhand signals, among other things,through a variety of games and activities.

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"We want to teach them some of the rules of the road so they're riding their bikes as safe as possible," said Dan Toppings, executive director at the RCMP Heritage Centre.

"We want to make sure they'resafe and we want to make sure drivers on the road know what to expect from everyone riding their bikes, not just kids."

"If they are [riding] as part of traffic, we want them to obey the same rules of the road that a driver of an automobile would," he said.

One of the most important safety rules, says Toppings, is for bike riders to be aware of their surroundings, which includes not wearing headphones.

Toppings also emphasized the importance of obeying traffic signs and "following the rules of the road."

The eventincluded a petting zoo, barbecue and photo opportunities with Roughriders players Brandon Bridge and Ed Gainey.