1000 SW Jackson Suite 230
Topeka, KS 66612-1274
(785) 296-1223
(785) 296-8649 (FAX)

Coordinator:
Jan Stegelman

Executive Committee:
Randall Bolin
NHTSA Region VII

Dennis Cooley, MD
Medical Advisor
American Academy of
Pediatrics, Kansas
Chapter

John Drees
Douglas County
SAFE KIDS Coalition

John Halbran
Kansas Safety Belt
Education Office

Jim Keating
Kansas State
Firefighters Association

Elena Nuss
Kansas State
Fire Marshal's Office

Cindy Samuelson
Kansas Hospital Association

May is National Bike Month

Safe Kids Kansas offers bike safety tips

Each year, more than 130 children die from bicycle-related injuries, and more than 280,000 are treated in emergency rooms. Of these, nearly half (47 percent) have traumatic brain injuries. Properly fitted bike helmets could reduce the risk of bike-related brain injuries by 88 percent; however, only 15 to 25 percent of cyclists ages 14 and under usually wear a helmet.

"A bike helmet is essential safety gear. Helmets could prevent an estimated 75 percent of fatal head injuries to child cyclists," says Jan Stegelman, Safe Kids Kansas coordinator. "Helmets could prevent up to 45,000 head injuries to children each year."

Motor vehicles are involved in approximately 90 percent of fatal bike crashes, and about 60 percent of bike-versus-auto child fatalities occur on residential streets. "Teach kids to obey traffic signs and the rules of the road. Kids should not ride without supervision until they have demonstrated that they know and always follow the rules," says Stegelman.

A helmet should be labeled to indicate that it meets the standards set by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. As long as it's certified and brand new, Stegelman says, "Let kids pick out their own helmets. If they think a helmet looks cool, they'll be more likely to wear it when you're not around."

Safe Kids Kansas provides bicycle helmets at reduced prices and Bike Rodeo resources for community programs in the state through its Safe Kids Cycle Smart program. Since the program's inception, more than 88,000 helmets have been distributed. The program has been credited with10 lives saved. If your community group would like to provide helmets as part of a bike safety program, please contact Safe Kids Kansas at 785-296-0351.

Safe Kids Kansas also reminds parents and caregivers to:

• Make sure the helmet fits and your kids know how to put it on correctly. In a crash, the risk of head injury is doubled if the helmet is worn incorrectly. A helmet should sit on top of the head in a level position, and should not rock forward and backward or side-to-side. The helmet straps must always be buckled but not too tightly. Safe Kids recommends the "Eyes, Ears and Mouth" test: The rim of the helmet should be one to two finger-widths above the eyebrows, the straps should form a "V" just below the ear lobe, the buckle should be flat against the skin and the strap should feel snug when the rider's mouth is open.
• Make sure the bike itself is the right size for the child. There should be 2-4 inches of clearance between the bike frame and the child's groin when the child's feet are flat on the ground. Also, make sure the bike is in good repair - reflectors are secure, brakes work properly, gears shift smoothly, and tires are tightly secured and properly inflated.
• Remember bike helmets are for biking. Kids should not wear bike helmets on the playground (where the straps can get caught on equipment and cause injury) or for activities that require specialized helmets (such as skiing or football).
• When in doubt, get help. The sales staff at any bicycle shop or outdoor recreation store should be able to provide expert advice on fitting and adjusting bikes and helmets. Additional information is available from the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute at www.bhsi.org.

For more information about bicycle safety, visit www.usa.safekids.org. National Bike Month has been coordinated annually since 1956 by the League of American Bicyclists; for more information, visit: www.bikemonth.org/.

Safe Kids Kansas, Inc. is a nonprofit Coalition of 67 statewide organizations and businesses dedicated to preventing accidental injuries to Kansas children ages 0-14. Local coalitions and chapters are located in Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Clay, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Ellis, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Leavenworth, Marion, Meade, Mitchell, Montgomery, Nemaha, Osage, Pottawatomie, Republic, Rice, Riley, Saline, Smith, Shawnee, Wabaunsee, Wilson and Woodson Counties, as well as the cities of Chanute, Emporia, Leavenworth, Norton, Pittsburg, the Wichita Area and the Metro Kansas City Area. Safe Kids Kansas a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury.

www.kansassafekids.org