Skating Safely
Skating safely starts with these essential tips from our professional and certified instructors. Learn about gear checks, protective equipment, weather awareness, visibility, and smart skating habits to prevent injuries and skate with confidence!
Essential Safety Guidelines
Perform a Gear Check Before Every Skate
Always inspect your gear to ensure a safe and smooth ride. Check your helmet for cracks or loose straps. Examine your skates for loose axles, worn brake pads, and secure frames. Properly fitted, well-maintained gear can prevent accidents before they happen.
Wear Protective Gear – Every Time
Inline skating protective gear is designed to shield you from impact. Helmets are essential — brain injuries can have lifelong consequences. Kneepads, elbow pads, and wrist guards help protect bones and skin, which can heal, but your head needs extra care.
Learn and Skate Within Your Ability
Stay Aware of Weather and Terrain
Conditions like wet pathways, ice, snow, leaves, sand, gravel, and pavement cracks pose hazards. Skating requires more awareness than walking or running, so always be mindful of your surroundings, changing weather, and terrain.
Be Visible, Especially at Night
If skating at night, wear reflective or light-colored clothing and use a headlamp so others can see you. Low visibility increases the risk of accidents, so make yourself as noticeable as possible.
Never Tow or Be Towed
Being towed by vehicles, animals, or anything else is dangerous and often illegal. Most dogs aren't meant for pulling, especially without the proper equipment, and leashes can create hazards for others. Always skate independently to stay safe.
Rules of the Road
Safe skating’s a snap when you remember to SLAP!
Skate…
✅ SMART
✅ LEGAL
✅ ALERT
✅ POLITE
Skate Smart
- Always wear your protective gear — helmet, wrist protection, elbow pads, knee pads
- Master the basics — striding, stopping, and turning
- Keep your equipment in proper working order
Skate Legal
- Obey all traffic regulations. When on skates, you should consider yourself to be subject to the same obligations as a cyclist or a driver of an automobile
Skate Alert
- Skate under control at all times
- Watch out for road hazards
- Watch for people
- Avoid water, gravel, and sand
- Avoid traffic
Skate Polite
- Skate on the right, pass on the left
- Announce your intentions by saying, “passing on your left!”
- Always yield to pedestrians