WSDOT Grant Proposal

Anderson

WSDOT Grant Proposal For Safe Routes to Schools

April 23, 2007

Prepared by: Ryan Anderson Linguatech, Inc

WSDOT Grant Proposal

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WSDOT Grant Proposal For Safe Routes to Schools Introduction

Anderson

Bicycle riding is both enjoyable and beneficial for children of all ages, however, if riders are not equipped with the proper safety equipment; this activity can become dangerous as well. Currently, only 41 percent of those participating in wheeled-sports wear helmets, according to a new report by the national Safe Kids Campaign (Bike Safety Includes Helmets for Kids). One of the most important pieces of bicycle safety equipment is the bicycle helmet. The main cause of bicycle related deaths and disabilities are due to head injuries. (Injury Prevention Works) According to Dr. David Borgstrom, a surgeon at Bassett Healthcare and the trauma and surgical critical care director, there are several key facts that everyone should know when it comes to the issue of bicycling and safety: bicycles cause more injuries in children than any other childhood activity. Borgstrom found that more than 27 million children ride bicycles, and within this group, ages 5 to 14, account for nearly half of all bicycle-related injuries. Statistics show that in 2001, 134 children under the age of 14 died from injuries related to bicycle riding, and 300,000 children under the age of 14, were treated for serious had head trauma from bicycle injuries. Furthermore, nearly 80 percent of bicycle related deaths are caused by the bicyclists behavior: either swerving into a street or turning left when they shouldnt (Borgstrom, 2007). Further estimates indicate that children who fail to wear a bicycle helmet are almost 14 times more likely to experience a fatal crash than children that are wearing a bicycle safety helmet. Not only can childrens lives be saved and traumatic injuries be avoided, but it is estimated that over $2 billion a year is spent covering the cost of traumatic brain injury and death

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due to bicycle related injuries.every dollar spent on a bicycle helmet saves $30 in direct medical cost (Borgstrom, 2007). Therefore, it is clear that bicycle helmets reduce the risk of injury and death in children. Background The King County Public Safety Department is proposing to develop a comprehensive program for bicycle safety in low-income communities in King County. This beneficial program will involve distributing safety helmets to children under the age of sixteen who cannot afford them, increased enforcement of helmet laws, as well as educational programs about bicycle safety for both parents and children. In so doing, King County Public Safety Department will assist in improving pedestrian and bicycle safety through education and enforcement. Although there is no federal law in the U.S. requiring bicycle helmets, in 1997, King County adopted a bicycle helmet law requiring youths the age of sixteen and under to wear an approved protective helmet. In so doing, many childhood injuries and fatalities have been prevented. Furthermore, in 2004, police officers in King County issued 205 tickets or warnings for helmet law violations. Most children do understand the significance of wearing a helmet and the consequences that not wearing one may bring, such as death, brain damage, or paralyze them. (Helmet Safety Overview, 1997) One of the common reasons given by children for not wearing a helmet was that they did not own a helmet, usually because they could not afford one.

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WSDOT Grant Proposal Benefits and Feasibility

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In general, children under nine or ten years old lack the perception and decisionmaking skills to be safe cyclists (Bicycle Safety for Children, 2004). It is therefore important when choosing a bicycle helmet to make sure that it is specifically designed for cycling (Bicycle Helmets, 1997). When someone takes a spill off a bike, the forehead usually hits the ground first. Head injuries cause most bicycle-related deaths and can result in serious injury such as brain damage. Up to 85 per cent of serious head injuries could be prevented by wearing a helmet. Two-thirds of all cyclist deaths involve head injuries.That's why it's critical for your child to wear a bike helmet that fits properly (Canada Safety Council). However, there are those that believe children in urban areas may not be willing to wear helmets because they are not perceived as hip or cool. Ruby Payne, who has written extensively about teaching kids who are growing up in poverty, suggests If it became a 'cool' thing for gangs to do, you would have a very high compliance rate (Meiers, 2005). To counter the idea that bicycle helmets are not cool, helmet design contests have been held, sponsored by Major League Baseball Teams. This has been highly effective by giving students the same consistent helmet message (Good Practices Guide for Bicycle Safety Education, 2001). Furthermore, there appear to be ways of making helmets acceptable to children in certain areas. For example, the Cincinnati Children's Hospital has developed a program working through churches, because many times the most respected people in

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the African American community are ministers, and in the Latino community than priests (Meiers). This program could be taken to Madrona and implemented in the same way. When several children in the community begin to believe that protecting their head and begin wearing safety helmets, the fad will catch on and more and more children will follow the trend and choose to wear the same headgear as their peers. Description of Proposed Work Approximately 8,500 children between the ages of five and sixteen are currently living in King County. Many already have helmets or can easily afford one, so funds are needed for from 100 to 200 helmets in various sizes. The helmets should be hard-shell bike helmet that is the right size for the child (Bogar & Weiland), and helmets need to be unisex in style and color so that both boys and girls can wear them. Additionally, the helmets should meet standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the Snell Memorial Foundation or the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) (American Red Cross). Additionally, King County police officers will be given brochures to hand out to minors who attend Madrona and their parents who are not using helmets. These brochures will emphasize the risks taken when riding a bike without a helmet, and encourage the child to wear a helmet for safety reasons. The brochure will also include how to fit a helmet properly such as: Use the foam pads to tailor the fit Make sure the helmet sits level

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Secure the helmet so it stays in place, fitting snug, but not so tight that it chokes Check the snugness of the helmet (Williams, 2000). The brochure will also teach basic bicycling safety rules, such as: Wear a helmet. Ride on the right side, with traffic. Use appropriate hand signals. Respect traffic signals. (American Academy of Pediatrics). The King County police will hold assemblies twice a year at Madrona schools to demonstrate the safety tips listed on the brochures and to answer any questions the children may have about bicycle helmet safety. Coupons for free helmets redeemable at fire or police stations will be given to each child who attends the assembly. There will also be four (4) helmets given out at the assembly to children who volunteer to take a short quiz on stage about bicycle safety. In addition, King County police patrolling low-income neighborhoods in the Madrona School District will issue coupons redeemable at fire or police stations for free helmets, and helmets will be placed in each police vehicle so officers can hand them out on the spot to children riding bikes without head protection. Coupons are a useful tool as everyone loves to get something free. Furthermore, children enjoy trips to their local

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police station and fire department, which would be a huge incentive for the children to use the coupon and redeem the helmet. Methods One of the safety measures used in this initiative will be to ensure traffic laws are obeyed by all, and those not wearing helmets while riding bikes will be warned or cited. Furthermore, community enforcement activities will be initiated by getting parents involved in enforcement. To get the public and the children involved in the initiative, King County Public Safety Department will hold a yearly event promoting the new program at Madrona Middle School. This will be modeled after the Encores Helmet Up! campaign promoted by Encore Health Network in 2005. Sports stars participated in the event, which was held at a child-friendly venue, the local zoo (Corgan). Sports stars that many children admire and look up to are slated to attend this year. By raising public awareness on the importance of helmet safety, the helmet initiative should be much more widely accepted in the community. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, helmet design contests have been held, sponsored by Major League Baseball Teams. This has been highly effective by increasing helmet use by children by 16% in 1998, 14% in 1999, 22% in 2000, and 21% in 2001 (Good Practices Guide for Bicycle Safety Education, 2001).

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WSDOT Grant Proposal

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The target school in the community is Madrona K-8, a Seattle public school. According to school statistics, 64.3% of the children in the school are receiving free or reduced lunches and may be in need of a free bicycle helmet. Furthermore, 70.8% of the children are from the African American community, therefore, an emphasis will be placed on this community for outreach; however, every child in the area will have access to free helmets and safety education, no matter what their cultural or ethnic background may be. Qualifications Although there is no federal law in the U.S. requiring bicycle helmets, in 1997, King County adopted a bicycle helmet law requiring youths sixteen and under to wear an approved protective helmet. Furthermore, in 2004, police officers in King County issued 205 tickets or warnings for helmet law violations. One of the common reasons given by children for not wearing a helmet was that they did not own a helmet, usually because they could not afford one. This was one of the main reasons the King County Public Safety Department decided to implement a special helmet program. Students will be required to attend the aforementioned assemblies held twice a year at Madrona schools. Students will also be required to attend any other events held on campus during school time, which pertains to helmet safety and bicycle safety awareness. The King County Public Safety Department is involved in all safety issues related to the of King County citizens, and has been a fixture in the County for over fifty years.

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The Department has piloted many other safety awareness programs such as the ChildSafety Awareness Program for Parents, a community crime prevention program, seat belt awareness workshops, health awareness seminars, fire safety displays, and the Driving While Intoxicated Awareness Initiative, just to name a few.

Cost Analysis Overall, the helmet program will be extremely cost effective, yet still result in preventing major injuries and even death from bicycle riding accidents. The cost of the program has been broken down between the brochures needed, the helmet coupons, the cost of the coupons, administrative costs, and the helmets themselves.

500 Safety Brochures @ $0.25 each 150 Helmet Coupons @ $35.00 each Cost of Coupons @ $50.00 each

= $125.00 = $5,250.00 = $50.00 = $10,000.00

Administrative Costs @ $10,000.00 each

(School Assemblies @ $1500.00 each = $3,000.00) (Special Event with Guest Stars @ $7,000.00 = $7,000.00) 200 Bicycle Helmets @ $35.00 each Total Grant = $7,000.00 = $22,425.00

As is evidenced by the total cost of the program, the cost is low compared to the benefits that will be gained with its implementation. Conclusion

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The main message of the program geared toward Madrona School District will be always wear a helmet (C.S. Mott Childrens Hospital, 2004). Emphasis will be on how bicycle riding is both enjoyable and beneficial for children, however, if riders are not equipped with the proper safety equipment, bicycle riding can become very dangerous. One of the main goals will be to change the beliefs of children in King Countys urban areas, who believe helmets are not cool. When more and more children start wearing safety helmets while riding, along with their peers, the social stigma will disappear and it will be hip to protect your head while wearing a helmet. Furthermore, with school events and assemblies involving parents and children and high profile celebrities, families will become more aware of bicycle riding safety, and in so doing make our community a safer place in general. If we can just get 100 children who otherwise would not wear a helmet to do so, we can make a difference.

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WSDOT Grant Proposal REFERENCES

Anderson

American Academy of Pediatrics. (n.d.) Bicycle safety: Myths and Facts. Retrieved on March 21, 2007, from http://www.aap.org/family/tbikmyth.htm American Red Cross. (n.d) Health & safety tips. Retrieved on March 21, 2007, from http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/tips/healthtips/bicycle.html Bicycle Helmets (2005). Injury prevention. Retrieved on March 26, 2007, from http://www.healthunit.org/injury/summer/bikehel.htm Bicycle Safety for Children (2004). ICBC road sense. Retrieved on March 21, 2007, from http://www.icbc.com/road_safety/pdf/LP67web.pdf Bike Safety Includes Helmets for Kids (2007). KATC 3. Retrieved on March 19, 2007, from http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=1863414&nav=menu209_9_1 Bogar, Glenda, & Weiland, Gary (1997). Trauma Experts Offer Tips for Young Bicyclists, KidSource Online. Retrieved on March 24, 2007 from http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/news2/bike_safety_pr.html Borgstrom, David (M.D.). Bicycle safety saves lives and makes sense; Bassett Healthcare. Retrieved on March 21, 2007, from http://www.bassett.org/pdf/604BikeSafetyborgstromweb.pdf C.S. Mott Childrens Hospital (2004). Bicycle safety. Retrieved on March 19, 2007, from http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_bicycle_hhg.htm Children & Teens: Young Cyclists Ages 9-12 (2005). Bicyclinginfo.org. Retrieved on March 24, 2007, from http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/ee/ed_young.cfm Corgan, Jackie (2005). Encores helmet up! Bicycle safety campaign wants kids to use their heads. Retrieved on March 19, 2007, from http://www.encorehealthnetwork.com/Downloads/HelmetUp Release05.pdf Good Practices Guide for Bicycle Safety Education (2007). Darby, PA: Diane Publishing Company.

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Meiers, Steve (2005). Promoting helmet use in low income neighborhoods. Bicycle helmet; Safety Institute. Retrieved on March 24, 2007, from http://www.bhsi.org/poorkids.htm What to Teach Your Children Abut Bicycle Safety. (n.d) Canada Safety Council. Retrieved on March 19, 2007, from http://www.safety-council.org/info/child/bicycle.htm Williams, Tracy (2000). Bicycle safety and your child, north carolina department of transportation, division of bicycle and pedestrian transportation. Retrieved on March 19, 2007, from http://www.activelivingresources.org/assets/parents_pamphlet.pdf Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute. (2006, Sep10) Helmet safety overview prudential paper on helmet safety. Retrieved on April 12, 2007, from http://www.helmets.org/whitpapr.htm Home Calendar Links Search. (n.d). Oklahoma state department of health: Injury prevention works. Retrieved April 12, 2007, from http://www.health.state.ok.us/Program/injury/ComGuide/Bicycle.htm

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