Honestly, if your child is using a pedal go-kart, then they are going to be incredibly safe. It is certainly much safer than them using a bicycle. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you do not need to take precautions when they are using their pedal go-kart. While the risk of injury is minimal, it is still there. We are positive that you want to do everything possible to ensure that your child is riding their pedal go-kart as safely as possible.
We were going to call this a ‘safety tips guide’, but we feel that the information that we share here is going to be more along the lines of ‘safety essentials’. Read each and every word. It really could cut the risk of injury to your child drastically.
Table of Contents
Purchase the right safety gear
Even if your child is not going to be travelling at fast speeds on their go-kart, it is absolutely essential that they wear a quality cycling helmet. Even the smallest of knocks to the head, particularly with a child, can cause some quite serious damage. Do not just purchase any helmet, though. Make sure that you take the time to source one that fits their head properly. A loose helmet is almost as bad as not wearing a helmet at all!
In addition to this, you will want to look into some elbow and knee pads. Obviously, your priority should be helping to protect your child’s head, but elbow and knee pads can help to prevent some rather painful injuries.
Use the seat belts
Many pedal go-karts, particularly those that are designed for younger children, will come equipped with seatbelts. Make sure your child wears them. This, once again, applies even if your child is only travelling at a very slow speed on their go-kart. The seatbelts are designed to help protect them from injury.
Ensure your child is not wearing any loose clothing
Loose clothing can get caught in the go-kart. Ensure your child is not wearing anything loose. The same goes for their hair. If your child has long hair, then make sure that you tie it back when your child is on the go-kart.
Attach a flag or light to the top of the go-kart
Go-karts sit quite close to the ground. This means that cars would find it exceedingly difficult to see them. Now, of course, we wouldn’t advocate that your child uses their go-kart near a road. There are plenty of places they can ride it without coming into contact with traffic. However, it is still worth putting a small flag or light on the top of the go-kart. This will ensure that if vehicles are in the vicinity, they can actually see the go-kart. It is a small change to the design of the go-kart, but one that could really help to save a life.
Only one rider should be in the go-kart at a time
This is important. If there is only one seat, then there should only be a single person sitting inside of that go-kart. Any more, and you are running the risk of a serious injury occurring to the riders. In fact, if your child is riding an electric go-kart, then the risk is huge and could cause irreversible injury. After all, if there are multiple people seated in that go-kart, the go-kart is off-balance. Neither person will be secured in it properly either.
Teach your child how to ride safely
This is advice that applies heavily if multiple go-karts are being used. The rider should not be banging into other go-karts. It should not stop randomly either if somebody is behind it.
Of course, outside of multiple go-kart usage, you will want to teach your child how to ride that go-kart safely. This means teaching them how to steer. Teaching them how to brake properly. Teaching them where they can and can’t ride. There is no such thing as being ‘too safe’ here, so make sure you share as much information with them as possible.
Watch your child when they are using the pedal go-kart
Your child should not be using a pedal go-kart without supervision. Whenever your child is using it, make sure that you are keeping an eye on them. If you notice that they are doing something which errs towards being a bit unsafe, then you will want to tell them and try and stop it. After all, the last thing you want is for your child to be developing unsafe habits while on their pedal go-kart.
Only drive the go-kart in a legal area
Nowadays, a lot of people do their go-kart riding on a proper go-kart track. However, it is going to be unlikely that you will be heading to one of these if you are in a pedal go-kart. This means that you will need to think a little bit about where the go-kart is being ridden.
As we mentioned previously; your child should not be riding the go-kart near any roads. This is just plain dangerous. However, generally speaking, it is probably going to be illegal for them to be riding the go-kart on the street or in the road anyway. You will need to look up the local laws for where you live.
Perhaps the best place for a go-kart to be driven is in an open grassy area i.e. off-road. For this, you are going to want to ensure that you pick up a quality off-road go-kart. This will perform incredibly well while your child is off-road. It also ensures that they are going to be safe. This is because not only are off-road go-karts complete with proper tires for the job, but they also have suspension, which will create a much more comfortable ride for your child.
*BONUS TIP* Maintain the go-kart properly
Before your child rides the go-kart, it is vital that you ensure that it is working properly.
The vast majority of modern go-karts on the market will have a guard over the moving parts. Before your child steps into the go-kart, you will want to ensure that this guard is not broken or loose in any way. If it is, then you need to do something to rectify the problem. If the guard isn’t working properly, then your child could get stuck in the moving parts, and this is going to be incredibly painful. This is why we also suggested previously that your child should not be wearing loose clothing and should be having their hair tied back properly.
You will also want to ensure that the tires are inflated properly on the go-kart. This should be checked every few times your child takes the go-kart out, unless they have just been for a particularly strenuous ride. Tires that are not inflated properly are prone to slipping and sliding about. They are also not going to have that much in the way of any grip.
Every month or so, you should go over that go-kart and make sure that there are no loose nuts, bolts, or screws. If there are, then tighten it up. This is actually important, particularly if your child is going to be riding off-road. It is going to shake the go-kart a bit, and this can knock a couple of bits and pieces loose.
It should probably go without saying that you should be checking the brakes and the steering of the go-kart before your child heads out on it. However, you will be surprised at how few parents out there will actually do this. It is ridiculously quick to do, and it can drastically cut the chance of there being any sort of accident.
Remember; if you do spot an issue with the go-kart, then it is important that you get in touch with the go-kart manufacturer. Nine times out of ten, if you have purchased from a reputable company to begin with, they should have spare parts in stock
Buy the right go-kart for your child
If you are looking for something that is safe for your child, then make sure you buy the right go-kart for them. You will need to think about two things here:
- Where your child is going to be riding the go-kart
- Their age
The age part is incredibly important, because you need to know that your child is going to be firmly seated in the go-kart. If they are too large or too small for the go-kart that you have purchased, then it makes the go-kart unstable and can cause an accident risk.
Of course, you should also make sure that you purchase the go-kart from a reputable manufacturer. That way you know that your purchase has been built with the highest standards in mind.
Conclusion
Go-karts are incredibly safe bits of kit, however, there are plenty of things you can do to make them even safer. We hope that our tips will help you out. Not only will you cut the risk of injury to your child, but it will also ensure that they have a lot more fun while riding
