• Children under 16 must wear bicycle safety helmets when cycling in Florida.Girl Staing on Road Inside Park With Bicycle and Helmet image by Andrei Merkulov from Fotolia.com
  
  Florida has few laws related to children and bicycles, but it does govern parental responsibility and helmet use. And children must follow general state and local cycling laws in Florida.
  
  

Responsibility for Children Law

• Florida State law 316.2065 holds parents and guardians of children legally responsible if children break cycling laws. If a child is caught using a bicycle illegally in Florida, in sight of a parent or guardian, the adults may be ticketed. Parents and guardians must ensure that children know and follow all state and local cycling laws when operating a bicycle off private property.
  
  

Florida Bicycle Helmet Law

• Florida state law requires bicyclists under 16 years old to wear a cycling helmet, reports the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Only 21 states and the District of Columbia require bicycle helmet use, including by children. Bicycle helmets must fit snugly, not tightly.
  
  

Bicycle Sidewalk Use and Florida Law

• Children often ride bicycles on sidewalks, and Florida law permits that, but some cities restrict sidewalk bicycle use. Sidewalk cyclists must signal when passing pedestrians and must yield the right of way to them. Traffic exiting driveways and parking lots creates dangerous and potentially deadly situations for cyclists on sidewalks. Sidewalk cyclists should slow in these areas.