• Safety Tips:
• Community Safety:Spring Gear-check
• Statistics:The Consequences of a Bad Fit
• School Safety:Spring is Time to Review the Rules

Spring into Safety

It's March and, depending on where you live, even though the snow may still be piled up outside your door. Nonetheless, soon the cold weather will give way to warmer days and the return to outdoor activities. With that thought in mind, we offer you some spring safety tips.

Community Safety:

The beginning of the spring season is the perfect time to give all of the outdoor gear a safety check. Some things to look for are:

Size: Have your child try on their bike helmet and any other safety equipment so you can make sure it still fits properly. A correctly fitting helmet is one that fits comfortably yet is snug enough so that the skin of the brow area moves when the helmet is moved from side to side. In addition, when placed on the head, the helmet should be level and not tipped too far to the front or back. A good rule of thumb is that the front of the helmet should rest about two finger-widths above the eyebrows.

While the helmet is among the most important pieces of gear, time should be taken to ensure any other protective equipment such as knee and elbow pads, wrist guards and mouth pieces fits properly.

Function: While most people know to check their bike's brakes, there are other parts that are just as important to ensuring a safe ride. First, you should make sure the bike's chain is snugly in place and well lubricated. Likewise, the pedal bearings should be lubricated and any lost or worn pedal treads replaced. The tires should be properly inflated (the recommended pressure is typically stamped on the tireís sidewall) and the wheel's spokes should be checked and any loose spokes tightened or replaced.

There should be reflectors on each wheel; amber on the front and red on the back. These should be visible from a distance of 500 feet. Similarly, the reflector mounted on the rear of the bicycle should be visible from the same distance.

Identification: Most often, when our children go off on their bicycles, skateboards or in-line skates, they do so without identification. And, while we certainly don't want our childrenís identities to be freely available, there must some way for the police emergency personnel to identify them should they be involved in an accident.

FingerPrint America's Safety Helmet Identification and Emergency Lifesaving Data (S.H.I.E.L.D) kit addresses both of these concerns. The kit contains an identity tag that is sealed within a protective plastic envelope and inserted into the crown of the helmet. A "Shield Alert" sticker lets emergency personnel know that the identity tag is in the helmet. Because the information is concealed within the helmet, your childís privacy is protected. More information about the S.H.I.E.L.D program can be found by visiting FingerPrint America.

Bicycles aren't the only equipment that should be checked; be sure to spend a few moments checking your child's scooter, in-line skates and skateboards for loose or worn-out parts. Taking a few moments to give everything a safety check in the beginning of the season will help ensure a spring and summer full of fun and safety.

Statistics:

How important is it to have a properly fitting bicycle helmet? Here are some statistics from the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute:

• There are 85 million bicycle riders in the US
• About 800 bicyclists die in the US every year
• About 540,000 bicyclists visit emergency rooms with injuries every year. Of those, about 67,000 have head injuries.
• Bicycle crashes and injuries are under reported, since the majority are not serious enough for emergency room visits.
• 1 in 8 of the cyclists with reported injuries has a brain injury.
• Two-thirds of the deaths here are from traumatic brain injury.
• A very high percentage of cyclists' brain injuries can be prevented by a helmet, estimated at anywhere from 45 to 88 per cent.
• Many years of potential life are lost because about half of the deaths are children under 15 years old.
• Direct costs of cyclists' injuries due to not using helmets are estimated at $81 million each year.
• Indirect costs of cyclists' injuries due to not using helmets are estimated at $2.3 billion each year.
• Helmets are cheap. The typical discount store price has risen from under $10 to about $15, but there are still models available for under $10 at major retailers.

School Safety:

After you've checked the fit and function of your child's equipment, you should take a few extra moments to review the rules of safety before letting them go on their way.

You should begin by reiterating your own ground rules and, if necessary, establishing new ones. Be sure your child knows how far from home they are able to travel and which streets or neighborhoods they are forbidden from visiting. Depending on your child's age, you may impose a requirement that they are to be with at least one other person when venturing from the immediate neighborhood.

Make sure they also know that their helmet is to stay secured to their head, even when they are out of your sight. If necessary, let them know that they will never know when a neighbor or friend may spot them and report back to you if they find your children riding with their helmets dangling from the handlebars.

This is also a good time to review the basic rules of safety. Be sure your child knows the importance of looking both ways when they cross a street - even when they are on their bicycle or skates. In addition, be sure they know to cross only at clearly marked crosswalks or, if there are no crosswalks, at a corner. Under no circumstances should a child (or anyone) enter a street from between two parked cars.

They should also know to ride with the flow of traffic and to always keep a watchful eye for obstacles or other hazards in their path. When passing a driveway, remind them to watch for cars that may be backing into the street. Finally, they should exercise extra caution in the rain or in any situation in which they encounter wet pavement.

Many towns offer bicycle safety tests in the spring or early summer. Check with your townís police or recreation department to see if one is scheduled for your area and make sure your children attend. In addition to making sure your child's bicycle is in good working order, they will also test your child's knowledge of bicycle safety.

Finally, make sure your child understands the importance of keeping track of their safety equipment. To reduce the likelihood that they will misplace their helmet, have them make a habit of hanging their helmet from their handlebars when they are not riding their bicycle.

This newsletter was created for Fingerprint America. All rights reserved. Reprint with permission only.