Max
12-09-2002, 09:09 AM
Think First using safety tags to prevent bike injuries
Special to The Clarion-Ledger
Play it safe
Always wear a bike helmet. The helmet should fit snugly and not move from side to side. The front of the helmet should be about an inch above the eyebrows and the chinstrap should be buckled snugly.
Inflate tires properly and check brakes before riding.
See and be seen. Always have reflectors on your helmet and bike. Wear bright fluorescent colors when riding.
Obey traffic laws. Stop at stop signs and traffic lights. Look right, then left, then right again at all stop signs, stop lights and intersections. Always check behind you before swerving or changing lanes. Ride with the traffic, not against the traffic. Stop or slow to a crawl before entering any roadway or at blind intersections.
Ride predictably - no swerving or curb-jumping and stay off the sidewalks. Most importantly, pay attention.
For more information about Think First or to schedule a program at a school, call 364-3451 or log on to www.methodistonline.org (http://www.methodistonline.org).
Shoppers looking for that perfect bicycle, scooter or pair of inline skates for Christmas will get a reminder from Methodist Rehabilitation Center to include safety gear.
The Jackson hospital's safety and injury prevention program, Think First, and its certified safety super hero, Sammy Safety, will be in stores placing safety tags on bicycles, scooters, roller blades and skateboards to encourage parents to buy safety equipment along with wheeled toys - just in time for the Christmas shopping season.
"Each year, more than 500,000 cyclists are treated in emergency rooms and more than 20,000 have to be admitted to the hospital," said Dr. Rahul Vohra, medical director at Methodist Rehab.
"Wearing bicycle safety helmets can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent," he said. "Children and teens are at high-risk for these devastating injuries, many of which are preventable."
This year's holiday safety tag campaign kicked off at the Bike Rack in Flowood.
"This is an important message and we're glad to be a part of it," said Tom Martin, owner of the Bike Rack. "We always encourage parents to get helmets when they're buying bikes or scooters. These tags really help get that message across."
Over the past year, the Think First team visited bike shops across Mississippi tagging bicycles and other wheeled toys. "We've gotten a good response from bike shops all year, but during the holiday season we make a big effort to emphasize the need for bike helmets," said Think First coordinator Lisa Uzzle Gates. "Everywhere we've been, we've been well received. People are realizing how important it is to protect their brain and spinal cord from injury."
For parents buying wheeled toys for their children, helmets aren't an option, they're a necessity, Vohra said. "Each year we see patients with disabling injuries that could have been prevented if they were wearing a helmet."
Parents also should make sure children who ride bikes, scooters or inline skates outside are wearing reflective clothing, Gates said. "We don't want to see children in emergency rooms or here at Methodist. That's why we take Sammy to schools where we present safety programs in an effort to make students aware of ways they can prevent traumatic injuries. We want to teach the kids to always think first before they get into any dangerous situation."
Send this article as a postcard
Mississippi News
Legislature
Legislature: Resources
Legislature: State Offices
Legislature: Senate Numbers
Legislature: House Numbers
Obituaries
Special Reports
World News
National News
USA Today
AP Wire
Sports News
Ole Miss Sports
Mississippi State Sports
Southern Miss Sports
Jackson State Sports
High School
Football 2002:
Special Tabloid
Hockey
Fishing Report
Outdoors
Business News
Nissan Watch
AP MoneyWire
Food
Courtney Taylor
Today's Editorials
Letters to the Editor
David Hampton
Marshall Ramsey
Sid Salter
Eric Stringfellow
Send a Letter
to the Editor
Ronnie Agnew
Bobby Cleveland
Rick Cleveland
Charlotte Graham
David Hampton
Rusty Hampton
Orley Hood
Sherry Lucas
Gary Pettus
Marshall Ramsey
Sid Salter
Eric Stringfellow
Jack Sunn
Courtney Taylor
Biloxi
Hattiesburg
Jackson
Meridian
Natchez
Tunica
Tupelo
Music, movies, dining and more!
Searchable database.
Quick Reference Page
Place an Ad
Subscribe
Send a Letter
to the Editor
Corrections
7-Day Archives
Special to The Clarion-Ledger
Play it safe
Always wear a bike helmet. The helmet should fit snugly and not move from side to side. The front of the helmet should be about an inch above the eyebrows and the chinstrap should be buckled snugly.
Inflate tires properly and check brakes before riding.
See and be seen. Always have reflectors on your helmet and bike. Wear bright fluorescent colors when riding.
Obey traffic laws. Stop at stop signs and traffic lights. Look right, then left, then right again at all stop signs, stop lights and intersections. Always check behind you before swerving or changing lanes. Ride with the traffic, not against the traffic. Stop or slow to a crawl before entering any roadway or at blind intersections.
Ride predictably - no swerving or curb-jumping and stay off the sidewalks. Most importantly, pay attention.
For more information about Think First or to schedule a program at a school, call 364-3451 or log on to www.methodistonline.org (http://www.methodistonline.org).
Shoppers looking for that perfect bicycle, scooter or pair of inline skates for Christmas will get a reminder from Methodist Rehabilitation Center to include safety gear.
The Jackson hospital's safety and injury prevention program, Think First, and its certified safety super hero, Sammy Safety, will be in stores placing safety tags on bicycles, scooters, roller blades and skateboards to encourage parents to buy safety equipment along with wheeled toys - just in time for the Christmas shopping season.
"Each year, more than 500,000 cyclists are treated in emergency rooms and more than 20,000 have to be admitted to the hospital," said Dr. Rahul Vohra, medical director at Methodist Rehab.
"Wearing bicycle safety helmets can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent," he said. "Children and teens are at high-risk for these devastating injuries, many of which are preventable."
This year's holiday safety tag campaign kicked off at the Bike Rack in Flowood.
"This is an important message and we're glad to be a part of it," said Tom Martin, owner of the Bike Rack. "We always encourage parents to get helmets when they're buying bikes or scooters. These tags really help get that message across."
Over the past year, the Think First team visited bike shops across Mississippi tagging bicycles and other wheeled toys. "We've gotten a good response from bike shops all year, but during the holiday season we make a big effort to emphasize the need for bike helmets," said Think First coordinator Lisa Uzzle Gates. "Everywhere we've been, we've been well received. People are realizing how important it is to protect their brain and spinal cord from injury."
For parents buying wheeled toys for their children, helmets aren't an option, they're a necessity, Vohra said. "Each year we see patients with disabling injuries that could have been prevented if they were wearing a helmet."
Parents also should make sure children who ride bikes, scooters or inline skates outside are wearing reflective clothing, Gates said. "We don't want to see children in emergency rooms or here at Methodist. That's why we take Sammy to schools where we present safety programs in an effort to make students aware of ways they can prevent traumatic injuries. We want to teach the kids to always think first before they get into any dangerous situation."
Send this article as a postcard
Mississippi News
Legislature
Legislature: Resources
Legislature: State Offices
Legislature: Senate Numbers
Legislature: House Numbers
Obituaries
Special Reports
World News
National News
USA Today
AP Wire
Sports News
Ole Miss Sports
Mississippi State Sports
Southern Miss Sports
Jackson State Sports
High School
Football 2002:
Special Tabloid
Hockey
Fishing Report
Outdoors
Business News
Nissan Watch
AP MoneyWire
Food
Courtney Taylor
Today's Editorials
Letters to the Editor
David Hampton
Marshall Ramsey
Sid Salter
Eric Stringfellow
Send a Letter
to the Editor
Ronnie Agnew
Bobby Cleveland
Rick Cleveland
Charlotte Graham
David Hampton
Rusty Hampton
Orley Hood
Sherry Lucas
Gary Pettus
Marshall Ramsey
Sid Salter
Eric Stringfellow
Jack Sunn
Courtney Taylor
Biloxi
Hattiesburg
Jackson
Meridian
Natchez
Tunica
Tupelo
Music, movies, dining and more!
Searchable database.
Quick Reference Page
Place an Ad
Subscribe
Send a Letter
to the Editor
Corrections
7-Day Archives