13 WTHR IndianapolisSummer Safety: Riding bikes

Indianapolis - Thousands of children will be riding bikes during the summer, pedaling through neighborhoods and, in some cases, busy streets.

100 children who participated in a recent bike safety program received free bicycle helmets from IMPD. The young kids know why the helmets are the most important safety tool for people on two wheels.

"If you grab your bicycle, you should have your helmet on, make it the norm, said IMPD officer Matthew Grimes.

"Children absolutely need to be wearing helmets," said Sandy Runkle with Prevent Child Abuse Indiana.

 The statistics reveal the dangers of not wearing a helmet.

 According to the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, 95% of the bicyclists killed in 2006 reportedly weren't wearing helmets.  

According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), there were 551,216 bicycle-related injuries in 2009. The AANS says there were 14,361 concussions and 1,348 skull fractures. Purchasing the best helmet and wearing helmets correctly are critical decisions. AANS recommends buying and using helmets approved by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or Snell 100 percent of the time.

"If you do have a fall and you hit your helmet, or even if you drop your helmet, from a distance, the helmet's no good. You get one drop with the helmet and it needs to be replaced," said Grimes.

Police officers make it easy for the kids to understand the danger. IMPD officer Grimes held up a paper stop sign, yield sign and talked to dozens of children on bikes.

 "If a car hits you, who's going to win? The car or the bicycle? The car's going to win," said Grimes.

 Are Indiana teens getting the message? According to data provided by the Indiana Youth Institute, 64.9% of Hoosier high schoolers say that they never wore a bicycle helmet when they rode a bike during the last year and older students are less likely to wear a helmet.  

Child safety advocates suggest other ways to protect your child on a bicycle.

 "Set limits with your children that you can go from point A to point B on your bike, but you cannot go here. You cannot go on this street, you can go on this street, you can stay in this neighborhood, you cannot go in this neighborhood," said Runkle. "Driving around with your child, and say here are some safe places. The ideal would be for you to ride your bike with your child."

 Setting boundaries is something Beckie Emery is doing with her two children.

"Right now, we have a boundary where they're allowed to ride from one house to another. They're not allowed to go out unless myself or another adult is with them," said Beckie Emery.

Police realize that more children will be bicycling this summer and want to make sure parents talk with their children about safety and explaining street signs, said Grimes.

"We see a lot of children riding in the street, going back and forth, and not paying attention, to vehicular traffic. That's a very serious danger. Sometimes, people speed, the driver's not paying attention and and somebody could be struck on a bicycle."

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends bikers follow four rules:
Wear a helmet
Ride on the right side with traffic
Use appropriate hand signals
Respect traffic signals

 The IU School of Medicine is hosting a bike safety fair at The Children's Museum from 11am-2pm on Saturday, May 21. Organizers say the free, three hour event will feature six bike giveaways (3 girls, 3 boys), 250 free bike helmets, a bike safety course, an obstacle course, crash prevention demonstrations and stations for helmet-fitting, helmet decorating and traffic signaling/safety instruction. Each station will be staffed by emergency medicine faculty, residents, and medical students from the IU School of Medicine. http://www.iuhealth.org

For more information:

CDC recommendations for bicycle helmet

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Bicycle Safety Activity Kit:

Bike Safety Flash Cards