Bicycle Safety
By Challah Kadir, age 11

I was going to my cousin's house across the street from my house. I saw this kid on a bicycle. He was going very fast. He didn't look right or left. There was no seat on his bicycle. The seat was gone, leaving the metal pole without a seat. He turned left going very fast and ran his bike into a car going straight and fast. The boy flew in the air and the back tire of the bike was under a back tire of the car.

Everybody came out of their houses. Everybody said, "Are you all right?" He said, "Yes" But he didn't get up. The driver had gotten out of his car. He said that he wanted to call an ambulance but the boy said he didn't want an ambulance because he was afraid that he would get into trouble. The bike tire was stuck on the car's back tire. The man got into his car and backed up to get rid of the bike tire. A lady held onto the bike. When they got them apart the bike wheel was bent. Then the man said to the boy, "What happened to your seat?"

The boy said that he didn't have a seat. Then the man said, "That's dangerous. You could get hurt.''

The boy was still lying on the ground. They picked up the boy and he said "Ow, my leg hurts." And then the man said he was going to call the cops on his cell phone. Then we heard the ambulance sirens coming. The medics put a neck collar on his neck in case his neck was hurt. They put him on the stretcher and put him in the ambulance. They closed the door and left.

Three days later I saw the boy riding a scooter on the sidewalk. I learned to put my brakes on at the comer and I learned about wearing a helmet every day. The man in the car was going too fast. The boy was riding on the left side of the road. Always ride on the right side of the street, on the correct side. Don't go too fast because you might get hurt by a speeding car. I learned about safety at the Bike Works. My older brother also came here. We study here about safety, sometimes from a video tape and about what can happen. We learn about turn signals, wearing helmets, how to stay away from cars, bike lanes and not to ride on trolley tracks because your bike might get stuck. When I graduate from the Bike Works I will get a bike.

Note: This essay is one from our Bikewriters contest.