Pennsylvania: Bicycle Helmet Blitz Program

Bicycle Helmet Blitz Program

PENNSYLVANIA

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS		PROGRAM AREA(S)
	Outstanding collaborative effort		Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety
	Targets hard-to-reach/at risk population

TYPE OF JURISDICTION
	Multijurisdictional

TARGETED POPULATION(S)		JURISDICTION SIZE
	Youth		708,782
	Bicyclists

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
During 1995, 830 bicyclists accounted for 2 percent of all traffic fatalities nationally. Although 70 to 80 percent of bicycle fatalities involved head injuries (one-third of victims were between 5- and 15-years-old), only 10 to 15 percent of bicyclists used a helmet. Montgomery County, Pennsylvania statistics mirrored these national data in 1994, reporting 49 bicyclists hospitalized for bicycle-related injuries and 36 percent of young bicyclists never using a helmet. Although Pennsylvania law requires bicycle helmet use by all bicyclists below 12-years-old, statistics clearly indicated a problem.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Bicycle Helmet Blitz Program was to reduce injuries and fatalities resulting from bicycle-related traffic crashes. A program was designed to meet this goal aided by the following objectives:

Increase enforcement activities involving non-compliance with the helmet law
Provide education to bicyclists on the importance of wearing a helmet
Determine factors leading to non-compliance with the helmet law

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The Bicycle Helmet Blitz Program was initiated in 1997 through the collaborative efforts of the Montgomery County Health Department and local police departments within the county. The Highway Safety Specialist from the Health Department's Highway Safety Program patrolled in a police car with a uniformed police officer in areas where bicyclists frequently rode. All bicyclists (including adult bicyclists) were stopped and educated about bicycle safety. Children wearing a helmet were praised for their safety awareness, and given a water bottle as positive reinforcement.

Bicyclists under the age of 12 who were not wearing a helmet, were educated about the law and the need for protection. In blitz areas where younger children were riding close to home, the Health Department and officers frequently found an opportunity to educate the parents as well as the children. Bicyclists were sent on their way with bicycle safety information and the water bottles in a small plastic litter bag designed to be hung on the handle bars of the bicycle.

The Bicycle Helmet Blitz Program was implemented in four local communities during the summer of 1997. With each bicycle stopped during a blitz, the following information was collected: bicyclist age, gender, and race; use or non-use of a helmet at time of the blitz; self- reported reason for non-use of a helmet; ownership of a helmet; and the specific location of the event. These responses were synthesized and analyzed to determine factors that may indicate reasons for non-compliance with the helmet law, which could ultimately aid in developing strategies for strengthening compliance.

RESULTS
Throughout the four communities participating in the Bicycle Helmet Blitz Program, 102 bicyclists were stopped and provided education and materials promoting the use of bicycle helmets. Fifty-two percent of bicyclists were not using a helmet, of which 70 percent were under the age of 12. Males were somewhat more likely to not wear a helmet than were females. Non-use of a helmet was more common among African-American bicyclists (87 percent were not using a helmet).

Ownership of a helmet did not appear to assure use. Forty-four percent of bicyclists not wearing a helmet reported owning a helmet. The most commonly reported reason for not wearing a helmet among this group was that it had been left at home. Other reasons included outgrowing a helmet and not replacing it, the economic cost of purchasing a helmet, riding close to home (the perception being that the closer to home, the safer one becomes), and appearance/comfort. Teenage bicyclists claimed that wearing a helmet was not only uncomfortable, but did not fit with their image.

It is anticipated that the high visibility of the program will significantly contribute to meeting the goal of reduction of bicycle-related fatalities and injuries.

FUNDING
	Section 402:	$700
CONTACT
	Shannon D. Morris Highway Safety Program Montgomery County Health Department 55 East Marshall Street Norristown, PA 19401 (610) 278–5145

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Winter 1998