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2018 Bike Safety Day
Bike safety classes were held on Wednesday July 25 on New Street. The kids who participated received a new bike bell, a 10% discount on a new bike helmet courtesy of Island Bike Company, and a certificate for an ice cream cone at the 'Sconset Market. Officer Keith Mansfield and Sconset bike policeman Nick Barry led the review of rules of the road, hand signals and how to navigate the obstacle course. A special surprise appearance by police dog Moby was a highlight. Casino tennis pro Mara Schmidt and assistant manager Dave Dunn also participated. (Coordinated by Civic Association Board Member Lynn Filipski.)
Bike rules emphasized:
- All children 16 and under are required to wear a helmet.
- A child between 1 and 4 years old riding in a child safety seat should also wear a helmet.
- Everyone should have a red light or reflector on the rear and a white headlight on the front when riding their bike between dusk and dawn.
- Bicyclists must obey all traffic sigs and yield to pedestrians.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BIKE HELMETS
Excerpt from As Easy as Riding a Bike (New York Times, July 23, 2018)
"A recent study looked at bicycle-related injuries in children treated in emergency departments in the United States over a 10-year period from the beginning of 2006 through the end of 2017. Over that time, there were more than two million such injuries in children from 5 to 17, which the researchers calculated meant more than 600 a day, or 25 an hour."So safety first and foremost: wear helmets. In the new study, “helmet use at the time of injury was associated with lower risk of head and neck injury, and of hospitalization — that’s protective, we know,” Dr. McKenzie said.
And it isn’t just about making your children wear helmets; when parents wear helmets, they are not only protecting themselves, but research has shown that when parents model the safe behavior, it’s more likely that children will be putting those helmets on themselves. Make sure the child is riding a bike the right size, and make sure the helmet fits correctly."