The BIKE Act of 2025 allows states to use federal highway safety funds for on-bicycle education in schools and mandates updated national guidelines emphasizing safe cycling skills and helmet use for students.
Seth Magaziner
Representative
RI-2
The BIKE Act of 2025 aims to enhance bicycle safety education for students across the country. It allows states to use federal highway safety funds to provide on-bicycle safety training in elementary and secondary schools. Furthermore, the bill mandates the Secretary to update federal safety guidelines to emphasize comprehensive on-bicycle training, traffic rules, and helmet use for young riders. The Secretary must also consult with educators and report back to Congress on the implementation of these new safety standards.
BIKE Act Unlocks Federal Funds for K-12 On-Bicycle Safety Training
The Biking Instruction, Knowledge, and Education Act of 2025 (BIKE Act) is a straightforward piece of legislation focused on getting more kids trained on bicycle safety, using money that’s already available. Essentially, this bill changes the rules for how states can spend their existing federal highway safety grant money. Specifically, Section 2 adds "on-bicycle education" for elementary and secondary school students as an allowable use for these funds.
The K-12 Cycling Curriculum Upgrade
Think of this as permission slip for states to finally fund bike safety class the way they fund driver’s ed. Before the BIKE Act, states couldn't easily use this particular pot of federal money (Highway Safety Program grants under Section 405) to teach kids how to ride safely in the real world. Now, they can. For a parent, this means your local school district or state transportation department might start offering actual hands-on bike safety training—not just a classroom lecture—covering everything from proper signaling to navigating intersections. It’s a direct investment in teaching safe habits early, which is crucial as more communities push for bike-friendly commutes.
Putting the Pedal to the Policy Metal
Section 3 mandates a significant policy cleanup. The Secretary of Transportation has one year to update the official federal guidelines for pedestrian and bicycle safety (Guideline No. 14). This isn't just bureaucratic paperwork; these guidelines set the standard for state safety programs nationwide. The update must specifically promote on-bicycle training for K-12 students, emphasizing critical skills like following traffic rules, navigating roads, and, notably, requiring helmet use. This means the federal government is officially putting its weight behind hands-on, practical cycling education.
The bill requires the Secretary to consult with current educators—the people who actually teach this stuff—to revise curriculum materials. Once updated, these new guidelines and materials must be shared with state education agencies. If you are a teacher or work for a state education department, expect new, federally approved curriculum packages and training materials designed to standardize and improve how bike safety is taught.
The Accountability Check-In
Policy changes often stall during implementation, but the BIKE Act includes a follow-up mechanism. Three years after the bill becomes law, the Secretary must report back to Congress on how states have used the new guidelines and funds. This report is important because it will track what’s working, what curriculum materials states are using, and what challenges they faced. For the busy citizen, this means there’s a built-in deadline for checking whether this new funding flexibility actually translated into safer streets and better-educated young riders, ensuring the bill isn't just a feel-good measure but a measurable change.