1 . f bh Al ud and operated newspaper Bettis on shrencs Your hometown locally owned Sports Community News Arts & Entertainment Features HELMETS ON WHEELS Schools | buy in to bicycle safety ' blocks of home. ~ shown that a quality bicycle helmet by Stephanie Wiebe . "As a Licensed Practical Nurse, I've seen a lot of head injuries,” said Rose Schibli. Her three young boys are bicycle fanatics, and husband George rides his bike to work when weather permits. "Head injuries really scare me." Looking at the statistics, Schibli |: « has every right to be scared. Each year in B.C., 20 people die in bicycle accidents, and 90: percent of those deaths are caused by head injuries. Eighty-five percent of those accidents occur within five Studies have significantly reduces the risk of head injury in such accidents. Schibli has a thick file of ominous statistics and information. - So Schibli has done something about it. She approached her son’s principal at Parkside Elementary School with an idea, and the pro- ject took off from there. "Christine Eide was very encouraging. She was all for it." On Eide’s advice, Schibli presented her budding project to the Parent Advisory Committee, and then School Dis- trict #88 administration for appro- val and support. She then scoured the available suppliers, and came up with: a quality product at a reduced price. Schibli made arrangements through Sundance Ski and Sports Ltd., for a bulk order and helmet fittings for School District #88 students wish- ig to purchase bike helmets. Uplands Elementary School HEAD PROTECTORS. Uplands Etementary School students found out from RCMP Cst. Ted Manchuklenko last Friday that there were 2,221 accidents in B.C. last year involving bicycle riders, and a lot them came away with injured heads. Uplands, along with other schools in the district, is offering helmets at a discount to its students through local sporting goods outlets. To emphasize the program, Uplands is installing a new bike compound next to the schoo! after spring break. parents have organised their own bicycle helmet program, ordering their helmets through All Seasons Sporting Goods, also at a reduced price. Information brochures from the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia are now being distri- buted to students and parents in the school district, along with order forms for the helmets. The helmets are available in bright green white and royal blue colours. "The idea is to get kids to Batteries don’t pay North Coast Metal Recycling in Terrace is still accepting auto- mobile and heavy equipment bat- teries for recycling, but the com- pany is no longer paying for them. Proprietor Harry Sharyk said vehicle insurance and dangerous goods transportation rules have made the expense of shipping batteries nearly cqual to the amount he gets paid by remanufacturing firms for the batteries. Insurance on his “two trucks has more than doubled in the last year, he said. With regard to batteries and the recycling of other items containing hazardous substances, Sharyk conimented, "It will eventually be the same thing as oil, where you pay for the disposal or the disposal cost is built into the price. Every- body along the line has to bear part of the cost." The batteries Sharyk collects are shipped to the lower mainland and sold to remanufactures, who empty the casings and separate the com- ponent chemicals and metals. There is now a $5 non- refundable deposit on new bat- teries. The fee goes into the pro- vincial government’s Sustainable Development Fund, established last year to finance environmental projects. Dumping lead-acid batteries in municipal landfills is illegal unless the municipality has established a special storage area for them. think that it’s cool," said Schibli. "It’s a good idea that parents wear them too." The helmets are quality safety equipment, meeting the American National Standards Institute and the Snell Memorial Foundation standards, two nationally accepted standards. The experience "An injury to the head can be devastating,” says Veritas Grade One teacher Ann Sullivan. Three months ago, Sullivan’s 64 year-old ’ father was riding his bike, when he was hit by a bus. "He was cycling to work, as he had for the last 10 years. He’s a very careful cyclist, really cautious." There was a glare on the road, due to recent rains. "The bus driver just didn’t see him." Sullivan’s. father received mul- tiple injuries to the head, several broken ribs and a crushed scapula. He spent six days in intensive care, on a ventilator. Sullivan says, "He was ‘out’ for two weeks.” Coming off the support of the ventilator, Sullivan’s father under- went a temporary personality change. "He was very aggressive." The “extremely fit" injured man suffered short-term memory toss, and lost 42 pounds in three weeks. Miraculously, he is now recover: ing, though it will be some time before doctors can predict his future health. Sullivan comes from a large family of cyclists. "All of our family likes to bike. We'll often go on biking holidays.” Like most recreational cyclists, the Sullivans enjoyed the wind in their hair. Since the accident, however, this cycling family has become more aware of the potential for injury, and they now wear helmets. "Before I got on my bike again, I got a helmet. I refuse to go out without it — even if I’m only going four or five blocks, I wear my helmet.” Sullivan hopes that others will Jearn from her famity’s experience, - and join in the school bicycle helmet program. "It really has made an impact. When you think of the potential loss of life, the repercussions — it’s too risky." How does your helmet fit? Imagine vigorously shaking an egg, and the scrambled results inside the shell. A properly fitting bicycle helmet can prevent a simi- lar injury to your brain, should you encounter an cycling accident, But helmets must fit properly, or your protection is severly compromised. These are the standards: “When you're looking ahead, the brim of your helmet should be ‘parallel with the ground. ‘Straps should be snug — not uncomfortably tight, but snug enough to nod your head em- phatically without a floppy helmet. ‘There should not be plenty of room for your hand to easily slide between the helmet sizing pads and your head. *With the side straps snug, you should not be able to push your helmet back beyond your hairline. The facte 90 percent of bicycle deaths occur when a child. on a bicycle darts: into traffic from a driveway, or ‘ignores a stop sign. *Statistics show that many cyclists are injured while riding on drive- ways or bike paths and in parks, not just on the streets. *Kids riding with other helmetted kids are 22 times more likely to ’ wear helmets than they are without - the peer pressure. *The human skull can be shattered by an impact of 7-10 kilometers per hour, and chitdren’s skulls are most vulnerable. *Brain damage can result in intel- lectual impairm. ‘. siezures or memory deficiencics, motor or speech impairment, or peisonality changes. OR ee et bis ad