SAMPLE TO TEACHERS & STAFF. Dear Teachers and Staff:

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Leon Dean
5 years ago
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1 SAMPLE TO TEACHERS & STAFF Dear Teachers and Staff: May 6-10, 2013 is Ohio Bike Helmet Safety Awareness Week. The Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics is using this week as an opportunity to remind children to Put a Lid on It! Protect Before You Pedal through a statewide public awareness campaign, and we are helping to spread the word by providing free materials and information to you to use in your classroom as you deem appropriate. I ve attached a short lesson that you might want to do with your students during Bike Helmet Safety Awareness Week. It s simple, but allows us to discuss safe play and protective gear an important and potentially life-saving discussion. I ve also attached a flyer that you can copy and send home with your students or home to parents and a fact sheet about how to properly fit a helmet that might be helpful to parents. Astoundingly, in 2010, the number of people injured by not wearing a bike helmet was 51,000, enough people to fill Nationwide Arena in Columbus 2½ times. Universal use of bicycle helmets by 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 55,000 scalp and face injuries annually. We want to do our part to save kids lives and spread the word! For more information about how to properly fit a helmet, bike helmet safety events throughout the state and ongoing safety updates, you can visit the Put A Lid on It! Facebook page at facebook.com/bikehelmetsafety

2 PUT A LID ON IT! Ohio Bike Helmet Safety Awareness Coalition Fact Sheet Mark your calendar: PUT A LID ON IT! BIKE HELMET SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK MAY 6 10, 2013 Activities will include: bike rodeos bike helmet safety lesson & helmet giveaways public awareness activities and much, much more! Bike Helmets Save Lives - and Dollars! In 2010, the number of people injured by NOT wearing a bike helmet was 51,000 enough people to fill Nationwide Arena in Columbus 2 ½ times. Currently in Ohio, estimates indicate that just 10-20% of children wear bike helmets, yet more than 70 percent of children ages 5 to 14 ride a bicycle regularly. 75 percent of bike-related fatalities would be prevented with a helmet. Helmet use can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent and severe brain injury by 88 percent. Apart from the automobile, bicycles are tied to more childhood injuries than any other consumer product, including trampolines, ladders and swimming pools. Universal use of bicycle helmets by 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 55,000 scalp and face injuries annually. A $10 bike helmet saves healthcare system $41 per child. If 85 percent of the children injured in the U.S. per year wore helmets, we could save up to $256 million in just one year. Proven Interventions Exist Parents who model wearing their bike helmet increase the likelihood of a child wearing their helmet. Various studies show that bicycle helmet legislation is effective in increasing bicycle helmet use and reducing bicycle-related death and injury among children covered under the law. One study showed that within the five years of passage of a state mandatory bicycle helmet law for children ages 13 and under, bicycle-related fatalities decreased by 60 percent. Police enforcement increases the effectiveness of these laws. A combination of efforts is necessary to effectively increase helmet usage rates among Ohio children: o Raising awareness of the benefits of bike helmet use o Encouraging modeling behavior among adults o Distributing bike helmets to Ohio children o Advocating for supportive public policies

For more information about how to properly fit a helmet, bike helmet safety events throughout the state and ongoing safety updates, visit and

3 We wear our helmets everyday be sure to always wear yours! May 6-10, 2013 Ohio Bike Helmet Safety Awareness Week Remember to always wear your helmet when biking, skateboarding or rollerblading! For more information about how to properly fit a helmet, bike helmet safety events throughout the state and ongoing safety updates, visit and like us on Facebook: Put a Lid on It or facebook.com/bikehelmetsafety. Remember: Put a Lid on It Protect Before You Pedal during this special week and every day! This program sponsored by the Ohio Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics.

PUT A LID ON IT! How To Properly Fit A Child s Bike Helmet Help save lives and prevent injuries by properly fitting and wearing helmets whenever you are riding a bike!

4 PUT A LID ON IT! How To Properly Fit A Child s Bike Helmet Help save lives and prevent injuries by properly fitting and wearing helmets whenever you are riding a bike! Put a Lid on It and Protect Before You Pedal! Place the helmet low on the forehead, just above the eyebrows. Show the children that the helmet straps should be snug under the chin so the helmet stays in the same position. Show the children that the helmet should not move back and forth or side to side. Demonstrate that when children wear a helmet on the back of their head (move helmet so forehead is well exposed) that the helmet cannot do a good job of protecting the brain.

5 SAMPLE BICYCLE/HELMET SAFETY LESSON 1. Start by having the children respond to the following questions by raising their hands: How many of you have ridden or ride bicycles? How many of you have ever wrecked on your bike? How many of you have helmets? How many of you wear your helmet every time you ride? 2. Ask the students why they do not wear helmets every time they ride. 3. Ask the students why it is important to wear helmets. What does our brain help us to do? Describe what the brain does helps up see, read, speak, think, hear, smell, taste, touch, move, etc. 4. Relate wearing a bicycle helmet to other sports and jobs in which helmets are worn. Ask the children to think of people they have seen wearing. Can you think of any sports stars that wear helmets? Name favorite football, baseball, hockey, cyclists, equestrians, etc. Tie in national or local events such as the Olympics, bike races, etc. You might refer to the flyer sent home to parents with the photo of the Blue Jackets hockey player on it! Can you think of people who wear a helmet in their jobs? Prompt them with fire fighters, construction workers, police bicycle patrols, etc. Why do you think those people we just talked about wear a helmet? (To protect their brains). Overcoming the Nerd Factor : Address this if the children mention that other kids teasing, looking/ feeling stupid, or no one else wears one as a reason for not wearing a helmet. Would you make fun of (name one of the most popular sports stars of people mentioned earlier) for wearing a helmet? He/she is smart and knows that helmets are good gear for their activities. Do you think we should make fun of each other for wearing a helmet? 5. Ask the children what bicycle safety rules they already know. Prompt them with the following questions if needed: What should you do before you get on your bike? Make sure you have your helmet on, check the brakes, tires, etc. What should you do at a stop sign or driveway? Stop and look before you cross. Is it safe to ride on someone else s handlebars? No. How should you ride when you are riding with friends? In a straight line, single file with space between. 6. Helmet Demonstration: Pick a student volunteer to demonstrate how to properly fit and wear a helmet (see fact sheet provided). Place the helmet low on the forehead, just above the eyebrows. Show the children that the helmet straps should be snug under the chin so the helmet stays in the same position. Show the children that the helmet should not move back and forth or side to side. Demonstrate that when children wear a helmet on the back of their head (move helmet so forehead is well exposed) that the helmet cannot do a good job of protecting the brain. Portions of this lesson were created based on materials developed by the Cincinnati Children s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Partner Outreach Toolkit

Bike Helmet Safety Awareness Week May 9 21, 2016 Partner Outreach Toolkit Ohio Chapter Ohio Chapter 94-A Northwoods Blvd. Columbus, OH 43235 Phone: 614/846-6258 Fax: 614/846-4025 E-mail: chapter@ohioaap.org