Kids Learn the Life Saving Benefits of Bike Helmets at Ferndale Bike Rodeo
(Crystal A. Proxmire, June 7, 2015)
As kids of all ages got fitted for free bike helmets at the Ferndale Bike Rodeo, they got to see the necessity firsthand.
Ferndale Auxiliary Officer Bruce Jarvie had with him the helmet that saved his life. Two years ago, Jarvie had been bicycling to work in Oak Park from his home in Ferndale. For one stretch of 8 Mile he had to ride in the street before cutting into a parking lot. He’d try to time it with the lights so he could be between groups of cars, but on this day something was a little off and he found himself riding more quickly than normal.
“When I was going into the lot, I skid and fell. I went head-first, like a javlin, to the ground. I hit head first then rolled and hit a second time. The second hit broke my pelvis,” Jarvie said. “When Oak Park Public Safety scraped me off the ground, I could barely remember my name. When they asked me who the President was I remember knowing that I should know it, but I couldn’t remember. That scared me.”
Jarvie was taken to the hospital, where the doctor told him that he would like have died had he not been wearing the helmet.
Now Jarvie shares the helmet with youngsters and parents. “If you don’t know how a helmet works, this is a good example. The inside is made of foam that crushes during the impact. You can see where the foam is compact on one side. It crushes so that your skull doesn’t.”
Jarvie’s helmet has skid marks and a big crack, plus there is the place where the foam is much thinner than the opposite side. Once a helmet has been in an accident, it needs to be replaced so that the foam is fresh. It’s also crucial that the helmet fits properly.
The Ferndale Rotary gave away over 60 bike helmets at Saturday’s event. Money for the helmets comes through fundraisers throughout the year like the pancake breakfast and the spaghetti dinner. Membership dues also help. The Bike Rodeo is a collaborative effort between the Rotary, the Ferndale Police and Ferndale Recreation. This year it was held at Ferndale High School so they were able to appeal to families that were there for various activities.
Kids also go to have their bikes inspected and licensed. Plus they could test their skills on a chalk-drawn bicycle course.
The licensing is an important part of the day. Police Chief Tim Collins was on hand to encourage kids and adults to sign up. “Licensing helps if the bike is stolen or if we find it somewhere,” Chief Collins said. “We don’t have as many bikes being stolen in recent years, because I think people are more apt to lock them up. Crime happens where there is opportunity. If someone goes out with a pair of bolt cutters with the intent of stealing a bike, they probably still will. But most bikes that get reported stolen weren’t locked up.”
Chief Collins explained that the City keeps a database of bike licenses, and if they recover any bikes they can look the number up in their database. “We may only get 2-3 bicycles back through licensing a year, but even then it is worth it to see someone get their bike back.”
Bicycle licenses are available at the Ferndale Police station and the cost is $1. But for the Bike Rodeo licenses are issued for free.
Eight year old Kieran Venvgopal was among the kids who rode the bicycle course and got a new helmet. When asked where he liked to ride, Venvgopal said “baseball practice mostly,” but added “school and the zoo and the library.”
Tristan Joppie’s dad Chris said “This is a nice community thing. I like that Ferndale does stuff like that, and that it’s a bike-friendly community.” Tristan, who is four, still rides with training wheels and always wears his helmet. “He just got his bike this spring. We live on a dead end so it’s nice for him to be able to ride around there and not worry about cars speeding through.”
The Bike Rodeo is not just one day of fun for the kids though. “Getting them in the habit of wearing helmets when they are little means they are more likely to do it as they get older. It’s better if they learn the habit early on,” said Chief Collins. “Bike safety is important at any age, but starting young helps.”
Learn more about Ferndale Rotary at http://www.ferndalerotary.com/.
Learn more about Ferndale Recreation at http://www.ferndalemi.gov/Services/Recreation.
Learn more about Ferndale Police at https://www.ferndalepolice.org/.
Learn more about bike safety at http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/kidsandbikesafetyweb/.
Check out previous Bike Rodeo stories:
http://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/06/11/safety-made-fun-at-ferndale-bike-rodeo/
http://oaklandcounty115.com/2012/06/06/safety-and-fun-at-2012-bike-rodeo/