I am a safety conscious mom. I am the mom that makes her kids have every piece of safety gear necessary for whatever they are doing. I am a stickler for bicycle helmets. If I ever caught one of my boys riding their bike without their helmet, they would lose the bike. I didn’t even let my kids ride bikes with other kids who didn’t wear helmets. My positive peer pressure worked, all the neighborhood kids got and wore helmets. 🙂
Did you know that:
- 63% of bicycling fatalities were due to head injuries? (Children’s Safety Network)
- In 2006 95% of cyclists involved in fatal accidents were not wearing helmets. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- 56% of all bicycle related emergency room visits are for children ages 0-14 (CPSC)
Bike helmets must fit and be worn properly to do their job. Try the helmet on and make sure it fits snuggly. Have your child pick out their own bicycle helmet. They are less likely to complain about wearing it if they pick the design. If they already have a helmet, let them personalize it with stickers or markers so that it shows off their personality. Always read the literature that comes with the helmet and adjust it properly. Make sure the bike helmet sits flat on your child’s head, not leaning back so the forehead is exposed and not tilted forward either.
Next week’s tips will cover basic bicycling safety.
The trouble with bike helmets is that the figures don’t show that they work – helmet laws have stopped a lot of people cycling and have done nothing for head injury rates, see Robinson DL. The only known connection is that helmets have strangled a few young children who were wearing helmets while playing off their bicycles. Personally I would not want to send my children out to play wearing a noose. I no longer wear a helmet and haven’t pressed them on my children. I do check that their brakes work and that they have a good idea of the rules of the road.
Richard, Thank you for sharing your opinion on the matter. I hope that you live in a state that doesn’t have a bike helmet law. Here in Florida it is the law and whether I agree with the law or not we must respect and obey the authorities which are placed over us.
Great informative article. Thanks