COLUMBUS, Ohio — Thousands of bike helmets will be handed out to children in Ohio this May in recognition of Bike Helmet Safety Awareness Month.
The Ohio Department of Transportation and the American Academy of Pediatrics teamed up to offer the helmets as part of the “Put A Lid On It!” campaign. This is the 13th year of distribution and the eighth year that the two groups have partnered together.
Nearly 10,000 helmets are expected to be handed out throughout the spring season.
More than 150 law enforcement agencies and community organizations traveled to Columbus to pick up their allotment of helmets on Thursday.
According to ODOT, nearly 2,000 kids under the age of 18 have been struck by a vehicle while biking in Ohio since 2018. More than 200 of the collisions reportedly resulted in a life-altering injury or fatality.
"Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent and severe brain injury by 88 percent," said Ohio AAP CEO Melissa Wervey Arnold. "It's important that kids not only wear a helmet, but that the helmet is the right size and fitted properly."
Ohio recognizes a bike as a vehicle and those bikes have the same roadway rights and responsibilities as other vehicles, ODOT said in a release.
"We want to equip our most vulnerable road users who are learning how to ride with everything they might need to be able to continue riding in the future," said ODOT Active Transportation Manager Caitlin Harley.
ODOT provided the following tips for motorists:
- Slow down and drive at a safe speed
- Look for people biking when turning
- Changes lanes to pass
- Put the phone away!
To learn more about Bike Helmet Safety Awareness Month and the Put A Lid On It campaign, click here.
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