The bicycle license, learning the highway code dedicated to children

At its beginnings, the bicycle permit was first of all an optional training, on the initiative of parents wishing to teach their child to 6 has 11 years How to move on the road safely. Depending on the place, passing the bicycle license could cost until 50 euros, And it’s still the case today. Nevertheless, there are today a multitude of volunteer organizations that offer their services to educate young cyclists for free. It is by no means compulsory to pass your bicycle license, even if more and more schools are starting to integrate training within their school program. From 2008, The government has launched the action “bicycle together, more bicycle, less CO2”.

Knowing how to ride by bike

Knowing how to ride by bicycle allows children to benefit from the learning necessary for real bicycle autonomy for the entrance to college.

Updated: May 2023

Citizen issues of knowing how to ride by bike

Knowing how to ride by bicycle was announced within the framework of the 2018 Road Safety Committee (measure 10 – supporting the development of the practice of bicycle in complete safety) and the Active Bike and Mobility Plan (measure 4 – Development of a culture bike).

This measure consists in promoting bicycle learning for a more secure practice. The generalization of the system allows young entrants to college to master the practice of bicycle independently under the real traffic conditions. Learning bicycle thus finds a place in its own right in the road safety continuum so that children can acquire real bicycle autonomy for their entry into college.

Knowing how to ride by bicycle is controlled by the Ministry of Sports, in partnership with the Ministry responsible for National Education and Youth, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Transport. Sports federations through their clubs, associations promoting the use of cycling and road safety education, supervisory professionals, prevention associations and communities can intervene in the implementation of this measure and contribute to the organization of learning sessions.

Implementation of knowledge rolling by bike

The implementation of knowing how to ride by bicycle must register in all the learning times of the child’s life:

• in a school context,
• on extracurricular time,
• or in a setting or extra-curricular (in club, at school, at the leisure center, etc.).

The common learning base

This program allows children from 6 to 11 years old to become more independent by bicycle, to practice regular physical activity and to move in an ecological and economical way. The minimum overall volume necessary to acquire the skills of knowingly rolling by bike is ten hours. The distribution of the hourly volume is to the appreciation of the various stakeholders according to the groups and the progress of children.

The bicycle license, learning the highway code dedicated to children

Moving by bike is thinking about the environment by promoting soft mobility. It is necessary to encourage this practice but do not forget to supervise it: cyclists circulate on the road and must absolutely be aware of certain rules to be observed so as not to endanger others and their own person. With this in mind, the French government has set up a program intended to teach children how to ride by bike on the road. At the end of this small training, they will proudly be brandishing their bicycle license, giving them the legitimacy of moving on the roads safely.

Are children forced to pass their bicycle license ?

At its beginnings, the bicycle permit was first of all an optional training, on the initiative of parents wishing to teach their child to 6 has 11 years How to move on the road safely. Depending on the place, passing the bicycle license could cost until 50 euros, And it’s still the case today. Nevertheless, there are today a multitude of volunteer organizations that offer their services to educate young cyclists for free. It is by no means compulsory to pass your bicycle license, even if more and more schools are starting to integrate training within their school program. From 2008, The government has launched the action “bicycle together, more bicycle, less CO2”.

This program is intended for children in CM2 class. The initiative was relaunched in 2019 and then in 2021 by the 4 ministries of sport, education, transport and the interior, under the name of the system “Know how to ride by bike».

Who is responsible for organizing the bicycle permit ?

The cycling permit, intended to promote safety on roads, has been set up by the government, with the support of National Education. Several organizations have taken part, such as the MAIF prevention association, road safety, ADEME, the police and the national gendarmerie of the Paris police headquarters in 2008. Since then, the subject has been taken up by numerous primary schools, helped by associations and/or cycling clubs leaving for teachers in order to train children.

How does the bicycle license take place ?

The bicycle license is a training 10h which takes place in two stages. First of all, an awareness phase is issued to children and their parents concerning the essential rules of cycling. This awareness is carried out thanks to educational kits implemented and provided by the MAIF prevention association for example and is divided into several sessions of 45 minutes. At the end of the training, children are subject to a small exam in order to assess if they are able to receive their bicycle license. The presentation of the small “diploma” is made while offering the young cyclist a retro-reflective strip vest, in order to underline the prudent character of this mobility.