Kids spend a lot of time on four, three or two wheels in the summertime, which means they should spend as much time wearing a safety helmet.
Lisa Klindt Simpson is the coordinator for Safe Kids of Southeast Wisconsin. The group is led by the Children's Health Education Center and is a member of Children's Hospital Health Systems. It works to prevent injuries through collaboration, education and advocacy.
Recently, OnMilwaukee.com contacted Simpson and asked her for detailed information about safety helmets, injury statistics, her thoughts on bike trailers and what parents need to know when choosing a safety helmet.
OnMilwaukee.com: When should a child wear a helmet?
Lisa Klindt Simpson: The helmet habit needs to be developed and reinforced from the very first time a child starts riding anything with wheels, even a tricycle. Helmets should be worn properly, each and every time they participate in any wheeled sport whether its at their own home or on a bike trail or riding with their parents. Activities can include tricycle, ride-able push toys, scooters, skate boards, inline skates or roller skates ... If it moves, wear a helmet!
OMC: What should parents look for when buying a helmet?
LKS: Buy a helmet that meets or exceeds current safety standards developed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
OMC: How often should a child get a new helmet?
LKS:A helmet should be replaced immediately if the one they are currently wearing is not fitting correctly, if you see any cracks or breakage in the helmet, if the helmet has been in a crash. It has done it's job and needs to be replaced. Or, if none of the above have occurred, the recommendation is to replace a helmet every 3-5 years depending on the amount of use it has received and exposure to the elements.
OMC: How many kids in the United States suffer a head injury every year?
LKS: Each year, approximately 135 children are killed as bicyclists. Children sustain more than 267,000 non-fatal bicycle injuries each year. Nearly 630 children are injured daily due to bicycle-related crashes. A total of 226,409 total child bicyclist injuries were recorded in 2006.
OMC: How much does wearing a helmet really help?
LKS: Helmet use can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent and severe brain injury by 88 percent. And it is estimated that 75 percent of bicycle-related deaths among children could be prevented with a bicycle helmet.
OMC: What are your thoughts on bike carriers and trailers? Are they safe?
LKS: The recommendation is that children aged 1 and under should not ride in bike carries or trailers.
OMC: Any more safety information you'd like to share?
LKS: Helmets should be removed while kids are on the playground. Parents should role model by wearing their own helmet each and every time, and supervision is also key in ensuring the safety of children. Have fun, be safe.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
