The SAFE KIDS Central Shenandoah Valley chapter will hold a "Wheel Safety Fair" from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 12
th at the Harrisonburg Lowe's Store, 201 Linda Lane.
This free, community-wide event is designed for children under 15 years and their parents and will feature numerous safety demonstrations and displays. The Harrisonburg Police Department will offer a bike rodeo and all children are encouraged to bring their bikes and helmets.
Children who bring their own bike helmets will receive a proper fitting. Free bike helmets will be available for those children without their own bike helmets.
A bike helmet is essential safety gear and can prevent bike-related fatalities and head injuries to children. Consider these facts:
- A properly fitted bike helmet can reduce the risk of bike and sport related brain injuries by 88 percent
- Only 1 out of every 5 cyclists age 5 to 14 usually wears a bike helmet.
- Each year in the United States, more than 100 children die from bicycle-related injuries.
- More than a quarter million are treated in emergency rooms across the United States each year.
- Local survey data collected from Safe Kids Central Shenandoah Valley shows that nearly half (47%) of local 10 and 11 year olds report wearing a helmet every time they ride a bike, scooter or skate.
Safe Kids Central Shenandoah Valley reminds parents and caregivers to make sure that the helmet fits and that the child knows how to put it on correctly. In a crash, the risk of head injury is doubled if the helmet is worn incorrectly. Parents and caregivers should also teach children the rules of the road. Children should realize that bicycles are vehicles and not toys. Riding bikes, scooters, skateboards and inline skates around traffic is an important responsibility. Children must respect all traffic signals and yield at all signs, red lights, and intersections — just as if they were behind the wheel of a car.