BE SAFE on your bike ? that is the message for cyclists in Okehampton which will be reinforced with a Bike Safety Day being held in the town next weekend. The Bike Safety Day is being staged by Devon and Cornwall Police in conjunction with Moor Cycles. The initiative is being hosted at the cycle shop in the arcade on Saturday, December 18 between 2pm and 7pm, and has been organised by recently-appointed neighbourhood beat manager for Okehampton PC Carl Seaward. The shop will be offering a free bike safety check and 10% off lights and security and safety equipment throughout the day. PC Seaward said: ?I know from experience working in the early hours, that you still see kids going out on paper rounds at this time of year without any lights. I decided to hold this day because I want to educate those youngsters about the dangers involved.? PC Seaward said he would be giving advice on how people should ensure they are visible to motorists when riding during the winter months. He said the message of bike safety did not just apply to youngsters but to adults as well. He said he also wanted to address the issue of bicycle theft by giving people information about the steps they could take to prevent them becoming victims of crime. He will also be bringing along a number of bike-marking kits to the event. Tim Petersen of Moor Cycles said he was pleased to be able to team up with the police to promote the message of bike safety. He said it was important for people regularly to have their bicycle checked to make sure it was roadworthy, in particular that their brakes worked properly. Bike safety checks would be free on the day. There would be a charge if parts needed to be replaced, although in most cases, this could probably be done on the day.
