The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

itt Re a. AR a 4. "A Famlly Tradition for 125 Years" a PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, July 9, 1991 - 25 By Gillian Barfoot Two weeks ago, he bicycled 340 kilometres in two days, rid- ing with 1,500 enthusiastic bi- cyclists from Ottawa to King- ston and back again. "It's very satisfying, first to train and then to go out and do it," says Wayne Medford, who teaches art at Port Perry High School when he isn't on his bi- cycle. "Bicycling is gaining in popu- larity. We live in such a perfect area. However, getting on a bicycle without considering safety is a dangerous habit, he warns. "I see little kids all the time driving around without a hel- met on. It takes very little ef- fort for a little kid to be thrown off a bicycle." The roads are narrow, he ex- plains, and gravel is dangerous as well. "If you ever slip off the road onto the gravel shoulder, you can be thrown onto the road." Ruts and sewer grates can Sosy throw a rider, he says. Children don't always pay at- tention when they ride a bike and they can run into parked cars or hit a patch of broken pavement. Speed is also a factor. "Kids can really move quite quickly, and if they crash... "Everybody should wear a helmet." Mr. Medford acknowledges that kids often hassle those who wear helmets, and think that they look "sissy." But he points out that it's the same as wearing a hockey helmet. "Parents won't let their kids play hockey without a helmet," he explains. "And bicycle acci- Helmets can save lives Safety should be first concern for dents happen more often." Parents must take the re- sponsibility to make sure that their children always wear a helmet, he says. "It has to come from the par- ents who purchase the helmets and insist that they wear them." He encourages parents to take advantage of a Sandoz/ Triaminic offer for bicycle safe- ty helmets at 40 per cent off the regular retail price. Coupons are available at most pharma- cies or you can phone 1-800- 288-4280 for more information. Parents should set a good ex- ample by wearing a helmet themselves, he advises. Adults can have bicycle accidents, too. He admits that he crashed Just last week when he was rid- ing to the high school and hit a small patch of sand. "I'm glad I was wearing a helmet," he says. Eighty per cent of bicycle ac- cidents do not involve cars, he says. Even if your child is only bicycling in a parking lot or staying close to home, the risk is still there. "What people have to realize is that you're just as likely to have an accident 100 metres from your home." Over the past five years, an average of 117 people per year have been killed in bicycle acci- dents in Canada, says Frank Murphy, Program Co- ordinator of the Head Injury Association of Durham Region. More than 13,000 people are injured in bicycle accidents each year. And about 75 per cent of these injuries and fatal- ities are head injuries. But most of those injuries bly on June 27. left -- to signal a right turn . all motor vehicles. ing its 10-year-ol from the public. roughout the day. ELBE NE I SX JL IE SU BE trier en [KEXER] (A ' IA PERK] New law would require cyclists to wear helmets By Gillian Barfoot A private members' bill that would require all bicyclists to wear helmets passed second reading in the Legislative Assem- Dianne Cunningham, Progressive Conservative MPP for London North, hopes to have the Highway Traffic Act amend- ed to treat bicyclists the same as motorcyclists, who must wear a helmet when riding on any public road. Bill 124 has been referred to the Standing Committee on Re- sources Development, says Michael Weir, Safety Policy Offi- cer with the Ministry of Transportation. The committee will meet with interested parties this fall and then submit a report to the legislature. This report, once it is tabled in the legislature, will be the basis for debate on the bill, he explains. Then if the bill passes its third and final reading, then it must also be passed in the Senate and receive royal assent before it becomes law. The Highway Traffic Act was also amended in 1989 to in- clude several provisions for bicyclists, says Mr. Weir. Bicyclists must now have a braking system that works, and they have the option of using their right arm -- instead of their The amendment also includes a definition of bicycle that confirms that it is a vehicle and must obey the laws governing "We are trying to make both cyclists and motorists aware that bicycles are legitimate vehicles," he explains. The provincial government is also in the process of review- & bicycle policy, and it is looking for input Mr. Weir is currently part of a Ministry of Transportation policy review committee that is considering changes to the role that the provincial government takes in bicycle safety leg- islation, education and provision of facilities. The committee members have started meeting with interest groups, such as pedestrian, motorist and bicycling associa- tions, as well as the general public, in five Ontario cities. They will be in Toronto on July 26, in the Ontario Room on the second floor of McDonald Block, Queen's Park. Interest groups will have a chance to make their presentations be- tween 10 a.m. and noon, and there will be a presentation for the general public at 7 p.m., followed by an open forum for Suestions and discussion. There will also be an open house could have been prevented. "A bicycle helmet reduces the risk of head injury by 85 per cent," says Mr. Murphy. "Bicycle accidents are one of the main causes of accidents and head injuries for children." Even though 93 per cent of children between the ages of six to 16 ride a bicycle, only about three per cent wear a helmet, he says. He cites a 1988 Ottawa- based study which found that 15 per cent of all children age five and older who were admit- ted to the emergency ward be- tween April and October had been in a bicycle accident. The study also discovered that 80 per cent of all bicycle injuries happened within five blocks of the child's home. "It's very important to wear a helmet even if you're hopping on a bike to go to the store," he says, "because even a mild head injury can cause perma- nent brain damage. And brain injuries are not repairable. "It's our belief that every- body who gets on a bicycle should be wearing a helmet." "Eventually, wearing a hel- met will be law," predicts Bar- ry Johnston, owner of Sports- land in Port Perry. He sells several different bi- cyle helmets, and plans to de- velop a school program in the fall to educate children about wearing them. "A lot of kids won't wear hel- mets," he says, "but kids ride bikes like they drive cars. They are careless." If you're buying a helmet, make sure it has been ap- proved by the Canadian Stan- dards Association (CSA) or has ANSI or Snell approval, he ad- vises. The Ministry of Transporta- tion produces two bicycle hand- books -- one for adults and one for children -- which outline bi- cycling skills, traffic rules and - safety tips. These handbooks are available free from Minis- try of Transportation offices. The ministry has also devel- oped the Go Safely Cyclers course for school children, which emphasizes safe cycling practices and promotes the use of helmets. Another bicycle safety pro- gram, called Right Rider, has been developed by the Canadi- an Association of Police Chiefs with the sponsorship of Petro Canada. A written manual is availa- ble from police, and the Dur- ham Regional Police have also distributed a video based on this manual to region schools. A copy of the Right Riders video is available for a five-day loan at the Scugog Library, as well as another video, the U.S.- made Bicycle Safety Camp. Bicycle rodeos are also a good opportunity for children to learn safety skills, says Const. Nancy Dillon of the Durham Begional Police. "They help a child develop the skills that you would have as a driver of a car," she ex- plains. "Bikes aren't toys, they're ve- hicles." She says it is unfortunate that bicyclists don't have to take lessons before they drive a bicycle. The bicyclist will always lose in an accident with a car, she explains. Most accidents aren't the fault of the car driver. my I we ' IE ae ve cyclists p A . &- . pid 3 ' 3 \ or. You may not recognize him in this outfit, but avid bicyclist wi Wayne Medford is also an art teacher at Port Perry High. "All it takes is for a cyclist to swerve. And what if the driver isimpaired?" Bicycles must have a bell or horn, brakes, and reflectors, she says. If you're driving at night, the bicycle must have a light on the front. The police always recom- mend that cyclists wear hel- mets. They can't stop you from being hit, but they can help you survive, she explains. She says that children won't normally be charged for infrac- tions of the Highway Traffic Act, but they will be stopped and warned. "We don't want to charge the kids. So what's the answer? We don't want to pick them off the road, either." Although police and the schools try to educate children about bicycle safety, Const. Dillon says it is ultimately the parents' responsibility. "If you care about your kids and you want to see them come home, you will take them out and teach them." Bicycle safety facts e® A child is four times more likely to be seriously injured in a bicycle crash than to be kid- napped by a stranger. @ 93 per cent of all children 6 - 16 years old ride a bicycle but only two to three per cent wear helmets. ® Bicyclists with helmets have an 85 per cent reduction in the risk of a head injury and an 88 per cent reduction in the risk of a brain injury. e Between three and seven mil- lion Canadians ride bicycles at least once a year, representing between 15 and 30 per cent of the national population. (Sta- tistics Canada) ® Over the last five years, an average of 117 Canadians have been killed each year in bike accidents and about 13,000 cy- clists were injured annually. (Federal Transport Depart- ment) RR ® 75 per cent of all cyclist deaths involve head injuries. ® The human skull is only 3/ 8ths of an inch thick, and it has a tendency to crack under sud- den and extreme pressure. ® Most accidents (more than 80 per cent) causing injuries to children occur less than five blocks from home. ® Most injured children (more than 50 per cent) received no specific safety instruction about cycling. e Hockey or football helmets are CSA tested differently from a bicycle helmet. They are not made to protect you from bicycle injuries. o Helmets range in cost from 330 - $80. Make sure you look or the ANSI, Snell or CSA ap- proval sticker. Ontario . . Head Injury Association)