As the days grow warmer, so too do the concerns of public safety officials who see residents biking around the Capital District.
“In certain towns, you see everyone wearing helmets. In other communities, you don’t see them wearing helmets at all,” Albany County District Attorney David Soares said. “I find that to be very troubling.”
Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said he sees “handfuls of kids” every day riding the streets without head protection. Faced with this issue, Soares and Apple joined Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, Watervliet Mayor Michael Manning and Congressman Paul Tonko Wednesday, May 29, at the Watervliet Dome to reiterate the importance of bicycle safety and teach local children some necessary signals for safe riding.
“There’s a strong rumor around here that we’re going to have summer,” said Tonko on the dreary day. “And as summer comes, it means acting safe. What I like about (bike safety is) it teaches everyone how to be safe. Let’s face it, knowledge is power. Power to have a good summer, power to have a safe summer, power to have a fun summer.”
A handful of children gathered with the officials and then embarked on a course simulating the streets of Watervliet set up inside of the dome. They learned how to maneuver around cones, riding slowing to keep balance and, most importantly, were shown different signals to communicate with drivers on the road.
“The most important thing is that bicycles must obey stop signs and red lights, just like cars do, because a bicycle is a vehicle and all vehicles have to obey all the signs, signals and pavement markings that cars do,” said Bill Van Alstyne, of the Albany County DPW Traffic Safety Education Programs.
Learning how to properly cross the road – stop, look left, right and left again – was another key factor explained to the kids.
It seems simple enough: wearing a helmet could mean a difference of life and death. A 2011 traffic study conducted by the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research noted that each year there is an average of 31 traffic-related bicycle deaths and about 635 hospitalizations in New York. The last reported fatal bicycle crash involving a child in Albany County occurred in 2009.
“You go into the City of Albany, for example, even though we have examples of kids losing their lives being struck by vehicles and suffering head trauma, the community is still not (using) helmets while riding these bikes,” Soares said.
One thing the officials agreed on, however, is struggling to make helmet-wearing “cool” for the kids.
“I remember as a kid growing up, you watch ‘Super Friends’ and after every show … those cartoons always ended with a safety tip. I don’t know if any of the children’s programming (today) has any of that. I think things like bicycle safety … are lost on us,” Soares said. “We want to make wearing a helmet cool again. I know for me, if you put a Spiderman or Captain America emblem on the side of the helmet, I’ll be riding with mine.”
Local law firm Martin, Harding & Mazzotti, LLP, donated 100 helmets to the county, which were passed out to children on Wednesday. The remaining few will be distributed to residents throughout the summer.
“We’re always happy to help out the Albany County sheriff and his team. (We’re) glad to help the kids out, glad to help the county out,” said Clark Supley, of Martin, Harding & Mazzotti.
Sarah Place, 8, of Watervliet, said she’s been riding her bike for a long time but doesn’t wear a helmet. She said she was excited to receive a free one.
“It’ll keep my head safe and if I fall, I don’t have to go to the hospital,” she said.
Her cousin, 11-year-old Jane Place, said she just learned how to ride a bike but wears a helmet. She learned her lesson recently when she was riding down a hill on her scooter.
“I didn’t have a helmet on and I hit my face and I had a fat lip,” she said. “If you fall, then you could crack your head open if you don’t have a helmet on.”
Apple added that distracted driving is an increasing cause for concern, especially when it comes to children riding their bikes.
“There are way too many gadgets out there. If you take your eyes off the road for one second and a young girl comes out on her bike and you’re weaving over … it just scares me,” Apple said.
Apple said within the next couple of weeks the county will announce a new program to reward kids who are wearing their helmets. Similarly, a few years ago Stewart’s had a program where an officer who saw a child wearing a helmet could “ticket” him or her with a free ice cream coupon.
Having a strong communication between parents and their children, Apple said, could definitely help bicycle safety. He said parents can easily go online and learn different bike safety techniques to teach children and learn for themselves.
“Teach your kids how to look, how to turn. It’s just common sense things that need to be drilled down a little bit,” Apple said.
