Don’t Be A Hard-Head... It Doesn’t Take The Place of A Bike Helmet!

Several years ago, New York City released a comprehensive study covering ten years of bicycle incidents, which showed me what most of us already know. Helmets save lives. Their analysis revealed the following:

97% of bicyclists involved in a fatal crash were not wearing helmets.

74% of fatal injuries were the result of a head injury.

87% of bicyclists suffering non-fatal, serious injuries were not wearing a helmet.

The is initiating a Summer Safety Campaign to remind people to wear their helmets while riding their bicycles, no matter what age you are.

When driving around the borough patrolling, we often see families riding their bicycles. An over-whelming majority of them are doing so in a safe manner. As kids grow up and start to test their freedom, sometimes the helmet takes a back seat to being cool. We can’t stress enough the importance of protecting your head from a high-impact crash, whether it is against a car or the pavement. That simple piece of plastic and foam, when worn properly, can literally save your life.

If you or someone you know needs a helmet, tell them to call the Police Department. We have several new helmets donated by AAA that we can provide to you, free of charge. Now you have no excuses, wear that helmet!

To show our thanks to those following the law, some local businesses are helping us out. We are rewarding those young bicyclists that we observe wearing their helmets by giving them a ticket, a reward ticket. , , , and have all agreed to give away a free food item to someone who received that ticket and brings it into their New Providence store location.

We see many bad accidents involving bicyclists around the borough and just want to keep everyone as safe as possible. Remember to follow the traffic signs and signals when riding your bicycle and always look out for vehicles when crossing a roadway.

Have a safe and fun summer,

New Providence Police

Statistics taken from:

1996 – 2005 Bicycle Fatalities and Serious Injuries in New York City

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/episrv/episrv-bike-report.pdf