LIVEWELL MINUTE: Bicycle Safety

Each year approximately 200 children die and more than 382,000 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries.

“We see quite a wide range of injuries,” says Vidya Chande, MD Emergency Department, Blank Children s Hospital. ”We see cuts and scrapes. We see fractures of the arms and legs. We see minor head injuries and for those kids who aren’t wearing helmets we see more serious injuries.”

To help prevent injuries, Blank Children s Hospital recommends:

• Children should wear a bicycle helmet ever time and every where they ride.
• Children should wear their helmet correctly, comfortable and snugly on their head in a level position with the straps always buckled.
• Parents should buy a bicycle helmet that meets or exceeds the safety standards of the U.S. Consumer Product Commission.
• Parents need to teach their children the rules of the road.

Dr. Chande says, “When I was a kid I didn’t wear a bike helmet because back then we didn’t know how important it was. But now after seeing how severe the injuries are in kids who don’t wear helmets, I always make sure my kids wear their helmets and I always wear mine to serve as a good example to them.”

Click here for some great consumer information on bicycle safety helmets.