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Dear Senator,
Please find our enclosed proposal for a grant for the promotion of bicycle safety among children. Any parent, regardless of where they live – in a city or the suburbs, knows how much children love riding their bicycles. This kind of leisure activity is recognized as healthy due to the fact that it is a physical exercise that is done in the fresh air. At the same time, the latest studies done by some of the most influential American health organizations reveal shocking statistics concerning bike riding and children’s health. According to the data presented by the Center for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics, bike riding can be rather dangerous and result in serious injuries and even fatalities when basic risk prevention and safety measures are neglected. In order to support this statement, we would like to present the findings below.
According to the survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 26,000 children have been treated annually for bicycle-related traumatic brain injuries in emergency departments (Head Injuries and Bicycle Safety, n. d.). However, this problem is preventable. The primary prevention measure required for the decrease in the incidence of brain injuries and head trauma occurring due to bike collisions is a well-fitted helmet. In 2013, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) informed that as many as 89% of children treated for bike collision-related head traumas were not wearing helmets (Caba, 2013). Moreover, AAP also noted that based on their estimations, wearing helmets is likely to prevent about 75% of all the fatalities related to bicycle accidents and also reduce the risk of head injury due to collisions among children by 85%. In other words, purchasing a simple helmet would save many children’s lives.
When it comes to the statistics collected specifically in Ohio, the incidence of bike injuries is rather high. For instance, according to the data provided by the Ohio Department of Public Safety (2013), the total number of bike crashes in 2013 was estimated at 1543, of them, at least 459 injured bike riders were children of 15 years old and younger. The same statistics for 2012 showed an even larger number of crashes (over 1900). As for the numbers of fatalities, 2012 showed 18, and 2013 resulted in 19, of which at least 3 were children and adolescents younger than 20 (Ohio Department of Public Safety, 2013). Reviewing this data makes it obvious that the incidence of bike accidents and crashes (with and without the involvement of other modes of transportation) is rather high both in the state of Ohio and in the United States in general. That is why, the prevention measures supported by the law are required to ensure safety of the children and, therefore, produce a positive influence on the public health of the state’s population in the long term. For even more substantial evidence it is worth noting that after the enactment of a helmet law in Georgia, the reported use of helmets by children riding bicycles increased from 35% to 53%. That way, the act of making bicycle helmet use mandatory in Georgia implemented with a just small accompanying fine, significantly increased the number of children wearing helmets (Schieber, Kresnow, Sacks, Pledger, O’Neil, Toomey, 1996). Based on this knowledge, it is extremely likely that a similar act could produce a significant positive effect on the population of Ohio.
Among the most powerful policy barriers that could prevent the change are the common beliefs opposing the use of helmets. Some of such opinions include the ideas that helmets are uncomfortable, hot, heavy, and that they also limit the vision of the bicycle rider (rollerblader or a skateboarder) making them more likely to crash. Another anti-helmet belief says that helmets add to the weight of the rider’s head and, therefore, expose them to crash injuries of much more serious nature. One more point of view maintains that helmets are mainly useless in the situations of bike crashes and are able to make a difference only in minor accidents. While the comfortableness of helmets in an individual perception and cannot be argued with on the scientific level, the other two claims have been proved wrong by the researchers stating that the weight of the head does not matter in the collisions, what matters is the coverage of the head so that it does not hit a hard object directly (Our Response to Some Negative Views on Helmets, 2016). As for the efficiency of helmets, they are proved to provide a sufficient protection at the speed of collision as high as 14 miles per hour (Our Response to Some Negative Views on Helmets, 2016).
The problem of the cost-effectiveness of helmets is to be reviewed separately. The cost of the helmets may be named one of the obstacles to the policy. However, the price range of helmets varies from 10 to 20 dollars, and in some stores they may be purchased at a discount price of about 5 dollars. Besides saving lives and protecting the health of the children, helmets safe healthcare money. For instance, one helmet for 10 dollars will help the American healthcare system safe as much as 41 dollars per child.
This project’s budget would include the public awareness-raising measures and monitoring services. The costs will be comprised of the creation and placement of special warning signs that inform the population about the new bicycle safety policy. The signs are to be placed on the streets where the children are most likely to ride bikes. The policy is to cover the individuals under 18 years of age riding bicycles, roller-skates, roller-blades, skateboards, and non-motor scooters. The parents of the children are to be held responsible for all the cases of policy violations. The public awareness campaign is to address the population explaining the need for the policy supported by the bike crash statistics, explaining the effectiveness of helmets, and informing about the fines assigned for the failure to follow the new rule. The campaign should be held on the local television, employ the social media, and billboards. Besides, the promotion of helmet use should be conducted in the schools of Ohio.
The program implementation would include the involvement of the law enforcement services such as the patrol and road police. The services are to be trained to recognize the policy breach cases and assign fines approaching the parents of the children who would be noticed riding bicycles, roller-skates, roller-blades, skateboards, and non-motor scooters. The effectiveness of the policy is to be evaluated on the annual basis. Namely, the results before and after the policy implementation are to be compared in order to detect the shift in the percentage of children wearing helmets. It is expected to be highly beneficial for our state in terms of public health.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Name Last name
References
Caba, J. (2013). 89% of Children in Bike Accidents Do Not Wear Helmets, Upping Risk of Traumatic Brain Injuries.
Head Injuries and Bicycle Safety. (n. d.). Web.
Ohio Department of Public Safety. (2013). Traffic Crash Facts. Web.
Our Response to Some Negative Views on Helmets. (2016).
Schieber, R. A., Kresnow, M. J., Sacks, J. J., Pledger, E. E., O’Neil, J. M., Toomey, K. E. (1996). Effect of a state law on reported bicycle helmet ownership and use. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 150(7), 707–712.