FREE Bike Helmets Offered To Palos Park Kids

PALOS PARK, IL — To protect kids’ noggins when they go bike riding this summer, the Palos Park Police Department will be handing out FREE bike helmets to Palos Park children.

Palos Park police want kids to have fun riding their bikes this summer and be safe at the same time. If your kid needs a bike helmet, or if your child's head has outgrown the helmet they got last year, stop by the police station at 8999 W. 123rd St. to pick up a new helmet.

The bike helmets are being distributed to local children as part of the National Children-N-Safety Program.

"Head injuries and falls from bicycles are one of the leading causes of emergency room visits among children, especially during the summer months," said Chief Joe Miller, of the Palos Park Police Department. "Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury to bicyclists by as much as 85 percent. Police hope that by issuing the helmets they can prevent trips to the ER."

To encourage your child to wear a helmet, start the helmet-wearing habit early. All bike riders — including those riding a tricycle — should wear a bicycle helmet. As long as the helmet fits properly, let your child pick out his or her helmet. Children will be more apt to wear a helmet if they have selected it or decorated it with stickers.

Kids aren’t the only ones who should be wearing helmets when riding their bikes or trikes. Adults should set an example by wearing a helmet when biking. Each year in the United States, about 800 bicyclists are killed and another 500,000 end up in hospital emergency rooms. About two-thirds of the deaths and one-third of the injuries involve the head and face. Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury to bicyclists by as much as 85 percent.

The bike helmet giveaway is only available to Palos Park residents only. For more information, email Chief Joe Miller at Jmiller@palospark.org or call 708-671-3770.