Bicycles and ice cream are among the highlights of the warm season for kids. Put bikes – more specifically, bike helmets – and an ice cream treat together and you have the makings of a longstanding and successful Guelph Police safety program.
Sunday marks the start of the 18th annual Guelph Police Bicycle Ticket Program. It runs until August 1. At the end, kids will have a chance to win a bike supplied by George Vettor Cycle.
“It’s all about helmet safety and trying to get kids to want to wear their helmets,” said Const. Mike Gatto, spokesperson for Guelph Police. “By getting kids to wear their helmets it not only protects them now, but it gets them accustomed to wearing their helmets. And hopefully when they become adults they will continue to wear their helmets.”
The idea is a simple one. The program uses positive reinforcement in the form of a yummy Dairy Queen “Mini-Blizzard” to encourage children to wear their bike helmets while riding. Officers on patrol will keep their eye out for children wearing helmets and will write them up a ticket for a free treat at the Dairy Queen shops on Woolwich Street North or Stone Road West. The child will then be eligible for the bike prize. Two bikes, one for a boy, one for a girl, will be handed out.
The program is geared towards children aged 4-13 years. A staggering 17,685 tickets have been issued over the first 17 years of the program, and 34 bikes have been given away.
“Whether you’re big or small, helmets are safe for everybody,” Gatto said.
Over the years, children on bikes have learned that if you point to your helmet and rub your belly when a police car goes by, there’s a good chance you’ll get ticketed, in the best kind of way.
“If officers aren’t on their way to a car or dealing with something, they are going to do their best to stop and make sure those kids get a ticket,” Gatto said. “We will have kids looking for us, which is also a good thing. We want kids to feel comfortable around police officers, and to know that we’re people who can help them.”
Gatto said there is no doubt that helmets prevent head injuries. Anything can happen, and happen suddenly, when you’re on a bike. It doesn’t take a severe fall to cause severe head injuries. A helmet cushions the blow.
“Those helmets give you that little bit of extra protection that could certainly make the difference between you getting up from the fall without injury, or potentially having a severe, life-altering injury,” Gatto added.