For the Kids
Helmets are Cool
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We were called to an intersection where a 13 year old boy had fallen off his bicycle. He had ridden through a stop sign and swerved into the curb to avoid a car. His head had struck the pavement and he was not wearing a helmet. Doctors operated on his brain to relieve pressure that was building up inside of his brain from the injury. He survived but has a serious head injury. This means he cannot walk or talk properly. He cannot feed himself or go to the bathroom by himself. If he had been wearing a helmet, it is likely the injury would have not been nearly as serious.
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In the U.S.A. it is estimated that if all bicyclists wore helmets, perhaps 500 lives and 135,000 head injuries could be prevented each year. In Canada almost 100 children died from head injuries every year.
You may think it is not very cool to wear a helmet when riding your bicycle. This is wrong to think this way. The smart kids and adults are the ones who wear their helmets. Look at the racers and the riders who do tricks on their bicycles on television. They wear their helmets and they are the best in the world.
When we are in the fire truck driving around and see kids or adults riding without their helmets we think they are taking a silly chance. It is too easy to fall and get hurt.
It’s cool to wear a helmet!
When you wear a helmet make sure it fits properly. Many people ride with the helmet high up on their forehead. This may not protect you in a fall.
Copyright 1997 Safety Health Publishing Inc.
Martin Lesperance is a fire fighter/paramedic and is the author of the best selling book "I Won’t be in to Work Today – Preventing Injuries at Home, Work and Play" Martin delivers keynote presentations dealing with injury prevention. His talks are funny, but still have a strong underlying message. Visit his website at www.safete.com