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For many children, learning to ride a bike is a rite of passage and an exciting part of childhood. Safety precautions like wearing a helmet aren’t always top of mind for children and parents.
Yet in the US in 2020 alone, there were 136,765 nonfatal bicycle-associated injuries in children ages 0 to 19 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“In Phoenix, we see lots of [bicycle, scooter, and skateboard] injuries and we see them year round,” explained Dr. Jon McGreevy, an Emergency Medicine Physician at Phoenix Children’s, the largest pediatric healthcare system in the Valley. “A big proportion of those [children] are not wearing helmets.”
To help change the status quo, Phoenix Children’s and autonomous driving company Wamo, which operates the Waymo One ride-hailing service in Phoenix, are partnering to raise awareness about the urgent need for children’s bike safety.
Phoenix Children’s hosts regular helmet distributions and children’s bike safety demonstrations called “Bike Rodeos.” At every Bike Rodeo, Phoenix Children’s bicycle safety advocates talk with parents and caregivers about the importance of driving carefully, staying constantly vigilant, not speeding, and stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks.
For its part, Waymo has designed its technology to follow road safety rules like speed limits, see constantly around the vehicle with a 360-degree vision system, and safeguard the safety of other road users, like pedestrians and cyclists.
Waymo invited Dr. McGreevy and John Boyd, an Injury Prevention Specialist at Phoenix Children’s, to ride with Waymo One to assess how the technology might help improve road safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
“I was impressed that it really followed the rules of the road, probably better than I do as a driver,” Dr. McGreevy said, adding that Waymo did not speed and gave clearance to a bike lane.
Dr. McGreevy also observed that Waymo stopped well before a stop sign and for a solid amount of time, waited for the proper window to make a left-hand turn.
“I think those sorts of things really will help keep people and drivers safe,” Dr. McGreevy emphasized.
Boyd said he thought Waymo could help improve safety for child cyclists. “I believe the Waymo car will be able to see them quicker,” he said.
A father at a recent Phoenix Children’s Bike Rodeo, Kyle, said that he’d seen Waymo vehicles around Phoenix driving with the personality of a respectful, considerate driver.
“They're courteous vehicles from what I've noticed,” Kyle said, adding that he felt comfortable with Waymo and his children sharing the same roads. “They'll give you your space.”
Dr. McGreevy shared that his main advice to people of all ages riding scooters, bikes, skateboards and more would be to always wear a helmet.
“We only have one brain. You have got to protect it,” urged Dr. McGreevy.
