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Bike
Helmets:
A
Necessity, Not an Accessory
As copied from
http://www.safekids.org/stages/
A
child is injured in a bike-related incident almost every two minutes.
Whether your child uses a small bicycle with training wheels or a big
kid’s bike, make sure he or she wears a helmet correctly on every ride.
It’s the single most effective way to prevent a serious head injury
from bike crashes.
•
A bike helmet should be labeled to indicate that it meets the safety
standards set by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC).
Look for the CPSC certification sticker inside the helmet and on the
box.
• As long as it’s certified, let kids pick out their own
helmet. If they think a helmet looks cool, they’ll be more likely to
wear it, even when you’re not around.
Do the “eyes, ears and
mouth” test to get the right fit. A helmet should sit on top of the
head in a level position, and shouldn’t rock forward and backward or
side to side. The helmet straps must always be buckled but not too
tightly.
•EYES check: Place the helmet on your child’s head.
Have your child look up and he or she should see the bottom rim of the
helmet. The rim should be one to two finger-widths above his or her
eyebrows.
•EARS check: Make sure the straps of the helmet form
a "V" under the ears when buckled. The strap should be snug but
comfortable.
•MOUTH check: Ask your child to open his or her
mouth as wide as he or she can. Does he or she feel the helmet hug his
or her head? If not, tighten those straps and make sure the
buckle is
flat against his or her skin.
Remember bike helmets are for
biking. Kids should not wear bike helmets on the playground, where the
straps can get caught on equipment and cause injury, or for activities
that require specialized helmets such as skiing or football.
Questions and Answers
Q: Is it true my child can wear a bike helmet when doing other wheeled
sports?
A:
It’s essential that your child wears a helmet for all wheeled sports
activities. It’s true that a properly-fitted bike helmet is just as
effective when riding a scooter, roller skating or inline skating.
However, when skateboarding and longboarding, make sure your child
wears a skateboarding helmet.
Q: When should I replace my child’s bike helmet?
A: A
bike helmet should be replaced:
•If it has been in a crash.
Impact crushes some of the foam and the helmet is less protective
although the helmet may not look like it’s damaged. •If it’s from the
1980s.
•If the outside of the helmet is made from foam or cloth, instead of
plastic.
•If it lacks a CPSC sticker.
•If you can’t adjust it to fit correctly. Maybe it’s too small for your
child.
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