Bicycle Safety

Good weather means break out the shorts, grills and bikes...don't forget the helmet! The kids 'n trucks foundation wants to make sure everyone is educated on the importance of bicycle safety. Each year in the United States over 900 bicyclists are killed. Of this, ninety-eight percent were reportedly not wearing helmets! In 1996, more than 350,000 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for bicycle related injuries. It is estimated that 75% of bicycle related fatalities among children could be prevented with a bicycle helmet. It is also reported that if there was universal use of helmets, children ages 4 to 15 could prevent between 135 and 155 deaths, between 39,000 and 45,000 head injuries, and between 18,000 and 45,000 scalp and facial injuries annually.

Bike safety does not just apply to kids, fifty-six percent of injured bicyclists are age 20 or over! We need to set an example for our children by wearing helmets. Wearing a helmet can reduce the chance of head injuries by 85%. Bicyclist admitted to hospitals with head injuries are 20 times more likely to die as those without head injuries.

Get a helmet!

We all know how important safety is at the workplace. It's important to remember we should be safe at home as well! Get a helmet and wear it every time you ride.

As a part of our efforts to give back to the commumities that we work in, the kids 'n trucks foundation will provide a helmet free of charge to kids who cannot afford a bike helmet. Children of Land Air Express of New England employees and children who live in the towns where our terminals are located, can get a free helmet from kids 'n trucks by sending us a helmet request form.

Playgrounds and helmets don't mix

On February 4, 1999 a child was asphyxiated while wearing a bicycle helmet while playing on playground equipment. Evidently he was caught between two overlapping horizontal platforms when his helmet would not fit through the gap where his body had already gone. The gap was said to be 8.75 inches. That would not be permitted under the ASTM playground equipment standard, which bans all openings 3.5 to 9 inches. Like this incident, other accidents have been reported that involved "hangings" where the child was strangled by the helmet strap. The danger also exist in children climbing in trees and other situations where the straps on the helmet could snag.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a warning on this subject. They emphasize that the more critical danger involves the bike ride to the playground. They are concerned that isolated stories about helmets' hidden dangers may discourage parents away from helmet.

The CPSC issued the statement, "Children should always where helmets while riding their bikes. But when the child gets off the bike, take off the helmet. There is a 'hidden hazard' of strangulation if a child wears a helmet while playing on playground equipment."

Prevent crashes

• Insist that your child wear a helmet every time he/she rides a bike. Replace the helmet if it has been damaged.
• Let your child choose a helmet. Make sure it has a sticker indicating that it meets Snell Memorial Foundation or American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards.
• Instruct your child on the correct way to wear a helmet. Make sure it fits snugly and covers the forehead.
• Set a good example. Wear a helmet yourself.
• Notice when your child wears a helmet correctly and praise him/her.
• Check your child's bicycle for correct fit, properly working parts, and reflectors.
• Teach your child to look left-right-left before entering the roadway or intersection.
• Avoid allowing your child to ride at night, as drivers often miss seeing cyclists.
• Never let a child ride a bike while wearing audio headphones.
• Stress the need to ride defensively since many drivers do not see bicyclists.
• Bicyclists should ride single file on the right side of the road-just like cars and signal their intentions to other road users.
• Check with driver licensing agencies and highway departments for booklets that explain bicycle safety rules.
• Enroll you child in a bicycle safety education program if one is available in your community.

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