May is Bike Month: Learn About Bike Helmet Safety

From guest writer Margaret Beltrami:

If you didn’t know, May is National Bike Month. This month for National Bike Month, I will be writing blog posts weekly on issues about general bike and bike helmet safety, as part of my Gold Award. A Gold Award is the highest achieving award a Girl Scout can receive by creating lasting impact and change in her community. I am very passionate about bike helmet safety and thought it would be perfect for my Gold Award!

As I mentioned, May is National Bike Month. It was established in 1956 by the League of American Bicyclists to encourage more people to bike and showcase the many benefits of biking. The League of American Bicyclists still works to create a bike-safe America by creating strong communities and safer roads today. Here is the link to their website if you would like to learn more: https://bikeleague.org/bikemonth

Bike helmet safety is a huge issue, especially here in the United States. Research shows that almost 3/4 of fatal bike crashes involved a head injury, which shows how important it is to wear a bike helmet (helmets.org). Did you know that in the US 88% of children and 78% of adults who suffered a head of neck injury while biking were not wearing a helmet? (consumerreports.org). Also, there are more than 80,000 bike-related head injuries each year in the US (ncs.org). All of these statistics are shared just to highlight the importance and severity of the issue. 

Bike helmet safety is not just an issue in the United States, it is an issue all over the world. For example, bike helmet safety is especially a problem in the United Kingdom. Currently there are no laws about bike helmet use. And in 2018, the United Kingdom Department for Transport stated that around 4,000 cyclists were killed or seriously injured. 

So what can be done? As I mentioned, these statistics are not meant to scare you, they are just meant to bring awareness to the issue. Bike helmet safety is a problem all over the globe, but there is hope. There are many organizations that work towards the issue of bike helmet safety. One of these organizations is called Children’s Helmet Initiative, and they work to stop preventable brain injury by trying to ensure that every child who needs a helmet can receive one. Their website (stopbraininjurynow.org) also has a lot of great resources and information. 

And that’s all for this week’s post! Stay tuned for the second blog post which will be uploaded next week and is all about helmets!

Bike Month Kick-off on May 1

May 1 kicks off National Bike Month. The DeKalb County cities (Stone Mountain, Tucker, Clarkston, Avondale Estates and Decatur) along the Stone Mountain PATH Trail have organized a series of events, educational programs, commuting events, and helmet promotion to encourage riders to get out and to go for a ride. The PATH provides bikers easy access to these cities downtown, businesses, neighborhoods, and parks.

The DeKalb cities will host a Bike Month Kick-off on Saturday, May 1, 2021, 10 am at Clarkston City Hall Annex, 1055 Rowland Street, Clarkson, GA. The DeKalb County cities will provide a sneak peak of the programs and events planned throughout the month. Aztec Bike Shop will bring its mobile unit to the event to repair bicycles. There will be prizes and giveaways. Covid-19 precautions and guidelines will be adhered to throughout the event including wearing masks.

Bike to Work Day Energizer Station Friday!

Stop by Decatur Active Living on Bike to Work Day, Friday May 18 for our Energizer Station. We will be in front of the Decatur Recreation Center from 7 until 10 am with treats, giveaways, bike safety information and more. We will be there even if it rains – if you can bike there we will be there!

For more more information on biking in Decatur visit http://www.decaturga.com/biking.

 

Biking in Decatur This Weekend

It has been a great Bike to Work Week in Decatur. We started off our day with a Bike Commuter Breakfast outside the Decatur Recreation Center and tonight we will host the Third Friday Fun Ride! Meet in front of the Decatur Recreation Center and be ready to ride at 6:30 pm. We will ride a leisurely 5-6 miles around scenic neighborhoods, then stop off for refreshments at one of Decatur’s watering holes. This is a fun group and all levels of riders are welcome. Please wear a helmet and have lights on your bike for your ride home.

Saturday morning at 8 am the folks at Decatur Bikes will be leading a ride to Stone Mountain. Meet in the CVS lot across the street. All levels are welcome and helmets are required.

Bike on over to the Dedication of the Beacon Municipal Center which takes place from Noon until 3 pm. Decatur Active Living and Decatur Police are hosting a Bike Registration from 1 – 3 pm in front of the Police Department on Trinity Place during the afternoon.  Parking is limited at the center, so please consider riding your bike and then have it registered.

On Sunday join Bicyle South for a ride to Stone Mountain. Be ready to depart from the store at 9 am. Refreshments after th ride. Helmets are required. No ride if raining.

This Week’s Bike Month Activities

Bike to Work Energizer Station, Friday May 16, 7 – 10 am
Stop by the Decatur Recreation Center on your way to work for coffee, juice and pastries and get energized for your bike commute! We will have NEW I Bike Decatur shirts for sale for $20 (cash or check), visitors from the CleanAir Campaign, Bike Maps and pins, and more. Rain or shine! Decatur Recreation Center is located at 231 Sycamore Drive, just a block from the Decatur MARTA Station.  FREE shirt compliments of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and Fallen Arrows for first ten arrivals who have signed up for the National Bike Challenge. #BTWD2014

 

Children’s Bike Rodeo Saturday, May 17, 10 am – 1 pm
Decatur Active Living has joined forces with Mike Sheehan and Neil Walker to put on a Children’s Bike Rodeo in the Callaway Lot, located at the corner of Trinity Place and Commerce Drive, across from the DeKalb County Parking Deck in downtown Decatur. Children will learn the A-B-Cs of Bike Safety, traffic skills, fun games, and more. The event is FREE. Helmets are required. #ibikedecatur

Decatur Bikes Ride to Stone Mountain, May 17, 8 am
Join Decatur Bikes for a Saturday morning ride to Stone Mountain. Meet at the CVS lot across from the store at 7:45 am and be ready to ride at 8 am. This is a conversational pace, no drop ride. No ride if raining. Helmets are required. Decatur Bikes will be doing these rides  throughout the summer. #ibikedecatur

Bicycle South Ride to Stone Mountain, May 18, 9 am
Join Bicycle South for a ride to Stone Mountain. Meet in the Bicycle South parking lot and be ready to ride at 9 am. This is a fun, no-drop ride. Helmets are required. Snacks at the store after the ride. #ibikedecatur

 

It Is Bike to Work Week!

Consider participating in Bike to Work Week and especially Bike to Work Day this Friday, May 16. The Decatur Active Living Division will be hosting a Bike to Work Day Energizer Station from 7 – 10 am in front of the Decatur Recreation Center. Stop by and have some coffee, juice or a baked treat. Gather with your fellow bike commuters and meet some new bike friends.

Sign up at the GA Commute website and log your miles. Each day you take alternative transit, walk or bike to work you help the environment and also are registered for a chance to earn cash or win prizes.  Make one small change a week! You may become hooked.

Join our team I Bike Decatur for the National Bike Challenge. It’s easy- just log any and every time you ride. The challenge goes through October. Click here for more information. Register,  then search for I Bike Decatur and join!

We hope to have our new I Bike Decatur t-shirts available for $20. You know you want one!! We accept cash or check.

For more informtion on Bike Month in Decatur, click here.