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hvparent.com n Hudson Valley Parent 27 weekends, so review the rules of the road with your family to help avoid collisions. As the family gains confidence, consider expanding your trip on the rail trails on either side of the river. The Dutchess Rail Trail (dutchess- railtrail.com) runs 13.4 miles from Poughkeepsie to East Fishkill with interesting spots to stop, including Family biking with safety in mind According to the state Depart- ment of Health, 54 New Yorkers are killed and about 2,000 are hospitalized each year due to bike crashes. Help ensure that your family bike trip is safe and successful by: • Making sure bikes fit by checking to see if feet touch the ground while the rider is sitting on the seat. • Having children wear appro- priate clothing and making sure shoelaces or loose pant legs can't get caught in the chain. • Never riding barefoot. Sneakers enable better grip to the pedals than other shoes. • Wearing bright clothing and having bike reflectors to better stand out to motorists. • Teaching riders to always stop and check for traffic in both directions, ride with traffic (not against it), make eye contact with drivers and follow traffic rules. • Keeping kid bikes (which have fewer moving parts than adult bikes) clean and tires prop- erly filled as suggested by Dave Schleede of the Famous Bike Brothers. • Bringing it into a local bike shop if you hear a rattle or something is loose and you can't tighten it. (Continued on Page 28) Visit us at www.wallkill.com or call 845-895-2051 Visit us at www.wallkill.com or call 845-895-2051 Locations in: Locations in: Wallkill - Milton - Highland Falls - Maybrook Wallkill - Milton - Highland Falls - Maybrook Community First. It's Simple... It's Simple...