Children and youth caught wearing their helmets while cycling this summer could be rewarded for being safe on the road.
IMPACT, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s Injury Prevention Program, the Sport Medicine and Science Council of Manitoba, and other community partners will out patrolling the streets looking for kids riding their bikes in a safe manner.
The 15th annual “We Caught You Using Your Head” campaign will offer such rewards as wrist bands or gift certificates and a chance to win a grand prize at the end of the season.
“The campaign aims to make wearing a helmet routine for cyclists,” said Dr. Lynne Warda of IMPACT. “We want to see every cyclist in the habit of fastening a helmet for every ride, much like the way we buckle a seatbelt when in a vehicle. We see too many children injured because they weren’t wearing helmets or weren’t wearing them properly.”
As of May 1, it’s mandatory for children under 18 to wear a helmet in Manitoba. The penalty for not doing so is a $50 fine.
