With the start of the new 2024-25 school year, Gaston County Sheriff Chad Hawkins is sharing a message of safety. 

“The Gaston County Sheriff’s Office wishes all students, teachers, school resource officers and staff a safe and successful school year as you head back to class,” Hawkins said this week. “Remember to stay safe, study hard and make this year the best one yet.”

The sheriff also cited a significant concern for many schoolkids and parents alike: bicycle safety. Every week day, countless students ride bicycles to school. Hawkins reminds motorists to be mindful of this.

“As students gear up for the new school year,” he said, “it’s important to keep safety top of mind. Here are some essential bicycle safety tips. Let’s work together to ensure a safe and smooth ride for all students as they head back to school this year!”

Those tips include always wearing a helmet that fits properly; riding with the traffic, never against it; having only one rider at a time on your bike; never wearing headphones or earbuds, as this will diminish your ability to hear traffic around you; always giving proper hand signals (i.e., left arm raised in a kind of “hail Caesar” salute to indicate a right turn; left arm fully extended directly to your left to indicate a left turn; and left arm lowered in a reverse of the right-turn signal to indicate a stop); and never, ever riding your bike at night.

This graphic (below)will show your children how to make proper alerting signals when riding their bikes with traffic on public roads. (Graphic Courtesy Saskatchewan Prevention Institute)