Good Samaritan Provides New Bike Helmets To The Community-June 1
CHI Health Good Samaritan and Safe Kids Platte Valley will provide new bike helmets to the public from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 1 at the Kearney Public Library, 2020 First Avenue. The event takes place in conjunction with the library’s Summer Reading Kick-off.
Helmets will be distributed while supplies last for a reduced price: a suggested donation of $10 to the Good Samaritan Foundation.
The toddler through adult size helmets meet current safety standards and will be fitted by trained staff from Good Samaritan Emergency Services.
Last summer, more than 100 new bike helmets were provided during this event to help reduce injuries.
According to Safe Kids, more children ages 5 to 14 are seen in emergency rooms for injuries related to biking than any other sport. Children and adults should always wear a properly fitting helmet when participating in any wheeled sports activities. It is the single most effective safety device available to reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes, yet only 45 percent of children 14 and under usually wear one.
May is National Bike Month.
Bike Helmet Statistics from Safe Kids Worldwide (SafeKids.org)
Bike helmets reduce head injuries by 85 percent, brain injury by 88 percent.
In 2015 in the United States, over 1,000 bicyclists died and there were almost 467,000 bicycle-related injuries.
Data from 2010 show fatal and non-fatal crash-related injuries to bicyclists resulted in lifetime medical costs and productivity losses of $10 billion.
Children (5-14 years) and adolescents (15-19 years) have the highest rates.
Bike Safety Tips from Safe Kids Worldwide (safekids.org)
Wear a Helmet
It is the single most effective safety device available to reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes.
Find the Right Helmet Fit
Make sure your child has the right size helmet and wears it every time when riding, skating or scooting. Your children's helmet should meet the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) standards. When it's time to buy a new helmet, let your children pick out their own; they'll be more likely to wear them for every ride.
Make sure the helmet fits and your child knows how to put it on correctly. A helmet should sit on top of the head in a level position, and should not rock forward, backward or side to side. The helmet straps must always be buckled, but not too tightly. Safe Kids recommends kids take the Helmet Fit Test
EYES check: Position the helmet on your head. Look up and you should see the bottom rim of the helmet. The rim should be one to two finger-widths above the eyebrows.
EARS check: Make sure the straps of the helmet form a "V" under your ears when buckled. The strap should be snug but comfortable.
MOUTH check: Open your mouth as wide as you can. Do you feel the helmet hug your head? If not, tighten those straps and make sure the buckle is flat against your skin.
Use Appropriate Helmets for Different Activities
Children should always wear a helmet for all wheeled sports activities.
A properly-fitted bike helmet is just as effective when riding a scooter, roller skating or in-line skating.
When skateboarding and long boarding, make sure your child wears a CPSC certified skateboarding helmet