Today Is National Bike to School Day

BREVARD COUNTY, Florida — Don’t be surprised if you see more children on bicycles during your morning commute.  That’s because today is National Bike to School Day.

Bike to School Day encourages a nationwide bike-focused celebration for students in the month of May as part of National Bicycle Month.  The event also raises awareness of the need to create safer routes for bicycling and walking and emphasizes the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, bicycle/pedestrian safety, reducing traffic congestion and concern for the environment.  The 2-year-old event is a twist on the popular Walk to School Day which also has the same goal.  

This month was chosen to celebrate National Bike to School Day because May is also National Bike Month.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. The percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period. 

Williams Elementary