Mike Parker: Girl Scout Troop chosen to distribute biking helmets
In 2007, the North Carolina Department of Transportation began a program called the “Bicycle Helmet Initiative.” The primary goal of the Bicycle Helmet Initiative is to reduce child and youth bicycle fatalities and serious injuries, including head trauma.
This year, the 18th year of the program’s existence, the initiative awarded 12,500 helmets to 156 organizations. Awards ranged from a low of 25 helmets to a high of 100 helmets.
Enter Girl Scout Troop 263 from Southwood. Organized in 2022, the troop has 10 girls from kindergarten to second grade. When troop leaders learned about the Bicycle Helmet Initiative, they talked with their girls and applied for the program.
The request for 100 helmets was gutsy. Applicants could request 25, 50, 75, or 100 helmets in the application. The more helmets requested, the stronger the application had to outline the community’s benefits.
As with most government programs, applicants had to abide by a number of rules. Applicants, whether government entities or nonprofit organizations, must be located in North Carolina and must conduct activities in North Carolina.
Helmets should be distributed to low-income children 17 and under. According to the guidelines, helmet distribution should be part of a more extensive bicycle safety program. It should address ways to identify and invite children in the community who would benefit most from receiving a helmet. Helmets cannot be received for personal use or sold.
When the information was made public for this year’s initiative, the troop leaders and girls decided the opportunity would be a perfect way to serve the community.
“We are always looking for community service projects to participate in or complete,” said Heather Simpson, a co-leader of Troop 263.
What better way to raise community-oriented young people than to get them started early in service projects?
The Bicycle Helmet Initiative funding is made possible through the “Share the Road” specialty license plate. Those dedicated to bicycle safety in North Carolina have continued supporting this initiative and have made tens of thousands of helmets available to children.
The need is real. Although bicycle trips make up only 1 percent of all trips in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control, bicyclists account for more than 2 percent of people who die in a crash involving a motor vehicle on our nation’s roads. “Bicycle” refers to bicyclists and other cyclists who ride on two-wheel, nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles, and unicycles powered only by pedals.
Nearly 1,000 bicyclists die each year, and more than 130,000 suffer injuries in crashes that occur on roads in the United States every year. The costs of bicycle injuries and deaths from crashes typically exceed $23 billion in the United States each year, according to the CDC. These costs include spending on health care, lost work productivity, and estimated costs for lost quality of life and lives lost.
Risks vary by age and gender. Adults ages 55-69 have the highest bicycle death rates. Adolescents, teens, and young adults have the highest rates of bicycle-related injuries treated in emergency departments. According to the CDC, people ages 10-24 account for nearly one-third of all bicycle-related injuries seen in U.S. emergency departments. Male bicyclists have death rates six times higher and injury rates five times higher than females.
One further observation: Please do not be invisible. Those who bike at dawn, dusk, or in the dark need to wear either fluorescent or retro-reflective clothing. Having lights on the bike can also help drivers see those riding a bicycle.
Thanks to Girl Scout Troop 263 for seeing a need in their community and participating in this project. I am sure their effort will save lives and reduce injuries.
Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.
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