Evaluation of a Curriculum‐Based Elementary School BikeSafe Program

ABSTRACT Background Children in urban areas face elevated risk for bicycle‐related injuries, yet few evidence‐based curricula address bicycle safety for elementary school physical education (P.E.) settings. Methods The BikeSafe Elementary School Curriculum (BESC) is an off‐bicycle, standards‐aligned program for grades 2–5. From August 2024 to May 2025, P.E. teachers at nine Miami‐Dade County public elementary schools implemented the BESC with grades 2–3 (ages 7–8) and 4–5 (ages 9–11). Students completed pre‐post assessments. McNemar's test evaluated pre–post changes for each question; the Wilcoxon signed‐rank test assessed total score changes. Results Data from 159 younger and 85 older students showed significant gains: grades 2–3 improved their knowledge assessment scores from 14.99 (SD = 2.18) to 16.70 (SD = 1.76, p < 0.001), and grades 4–5 from 21.80 (SD = 2.21) to 23.32 (SD = 2.01, p < 0.001). Both younger and older students improved on the concepts of visibility, hand signals, and built environment awareness. Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity BESC's minimal equipment needs support integration into P.E. programs, particularly in underserved or high‐risk schools. Broader adoption may enhance youth injury prevention and safe cycling behaviors. Conclusions BESC improved safety knowledge and is a scalable and alternative to on‐bike instruction in elementary school settings.