Newslette R MAPLE BLUFF - Village of Maple Bluff

VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR’S corner
RECENTLY, A PARENT shared concerns about
her child no longer wanting to wear a bike helmet.
It is no longer “cool” to wear that helmet!
This attitude normally begins around the age of
10 or 11, and only escalates from there. How
often have we heard that argument from our
kids that “none of the other kids have to.” Below
you will find some information and suggestions
regarding this topic. At the end of the day, the
responsibility falls to you, the parent, to enforce
the bike helmet wearing rules within the family.
Personally, I have seen several bike accidents
with kids and I have seen the damage that can
be caused to the head and, tragically, to the life
of a young child. These accidents do not have
to be at high speeds to cause trauma. In fact,
two of the worst child bike accidents I’ve seen
both occurred in a 25mph zone. This does not
include my own bike accident where I flew over
the handlebars when the bike stopped abruptly.
No, I was not wearing a helmet.
As we talk about bike safety, please remind
your kids that riding down the hill from the
MBCC pool to the beach should be done carefully.
The natural reaction for a kid is to get up
as much speed coming down the hill as they can.
At the end of the MBCC driveway, there is a
road which is a completely blind intersection for
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the approaching drivers operating a vehicle. The
kids need to be under control so they can properly
navigate that crossing over to the beach.
Here is some information and
suggestions about helmets:
Helmets are important for kids’ safety and
to prevent brain injuries if there is a collision.
About 20 states have laws that kids under the
age of 16 or 18 must wear helmets. Please go to
the following website for some great facts compiled
by LAB: www.bikeleague.org/media/facts/
pdf/BicycleHelmetUseLaws.pdf
There is an exercise called the "egg drop"
that can be done in the classroom or at home
to show how fragile the head is, and how it is
protected by a helmet.
Many teen and pre-teen kids don't like bike
helmets, but do like multi-use helmets which
can also be used for other sports, especially
because they can put cool stickers on those
helmets.
Parent education is key - including data on
why helmets are important for kids to wear.
Parents must lead by example! Do your research!
Promotional programs (especially led by
kids) promoting helmets as cool and safe. To
affect middle school and high school students,
the program is best to be led by the kids with
support from adults.
If you have further questions or need more
information you may contact:
Deb Hubsmith, Director
Safe Routes to School National Partnership
(415) 454-7430
deb@saferoutespartnership.org
www.saferoutespartnership.org
Tim Krueger,
Village Administrator/Police Chief
tjkrueger@villageofmaplebluff.org
244-3048 ext. 111
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