PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Yuba County, California, is a small, predominantly urban county located about 40 miles north of Sacramento. The county has a high unemployment rate and a high percentage of population below the poverty level. In 1994, Yuba County Health Department staff conducted surveys of bicycle helmet use at eleven of Yuba County's elementary and intermediate schools. The surveys were also conducted with children under the age of 14 in two of Yuba County's residential areas. Helmet use at the schools varied from a low of zero to a high of 83 percent. Use in the residential areas averaged nine percent. The surveys indicated that an average of less than one child in three riding their bicycles to school was wearing a helmet, and only one child in eleven was wearing a helmet while riding in their neighborhood. The primary reason parents gave for their children not wearing helmets was the cost of the helmet. One parent stated that she could buy a used bicycle for her child for less than she would have to pay for a helmet.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Bicycle Safety Education Program was developed to increase the use of bicycle helmets for Yuba County children, thus preventing fatalities and injuries. The program's objectives included:

• Conducting 12 bicycle safety workshops each year
• Promoting bicycle safety in Yuba County schools
• Increasing public awareness of bicycle safety and the importance of bicycle helmets in preventing head injuries

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The Yuba County Health Department implemented the Bicycle Safety Education Program using strategies and activities that focused on elementary school youth and their parents. Safety presentations were given in the classroom and during community meetings, and bicycle rodeos were held for the students in order to enforce the importance of bicycle safety. Forty-two community presentations were held including several workshops for non-English speaking parents in several languages: seven workshops were held in Spanish and five workshops were held in Hmong, an Asian dialect.

The Health Department formed partnerships with civic organizations, law enforcement professionals, the local Fire Department and the news media. Program events were advertised in articles in the local newspapers, promoted in organization newsletters, and were aired on local radio. The program sponsored bicycle rodeos and other activities at 19 community events and conducted two bicycle safety essay contests in local elementary schools. During these events, 545 bicycle helmets were provided to children from low- income households and 42 workshops were presented.