Project
Characteristics |
Education
& Enforcement
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Program
Areas |
Pedestrian
& Bicycle Safety
Public Information & Education |
Type
of Jurisdiction |
County |
Targeted
Population |
School
Children |
Jurisdiction
Size |
252,000 |
Funding |
Section
402: $7,000 |
Contact |
Mike
Schurman
Atlantic County Office of Hwy Safety
5033 English Creek Ave.
Egg Harbor Twp., NJ 08234
(609) 407-6739
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Digest
Listing
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NEW JERSEY
Atlantic County Bicycle Safety Initiative
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
There were 130 bike crashes on Atlantic County
roadways in 2001. Six people, including five children, were killed in
traffic crashes that involved bicycles, a skateboard, and an all- terrain
vehicle (Quad). Five of the six victims did not wear helmets.
Bike helmet usage surveys in several school districts
that had bike paths showed most of the school children were not wearing
bike helmets. In Somers Point, for example, a survey showed that of 359
students who rode bikes to school in a one-week period, only 24 wore
helmets (seven percent). The Atlantic County Association of Chiefs of
Police, alarmed over the statistics, formally requested that the Atlantic
County Highway Safety Task Force intercede with the Superintendent of
Schools to adapt a policy prohibiting children from riding bicycles to
school unless they wear an approved safety helmet.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Atlantic County Bicycle Safety
Initiative is to:
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Encourage Atlantic County's 24 school districts
to implement a bike helmet policy;
-
Support a Helmets 4-LIFE (community based
incentive) program; and
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Develop an aggressive bicycle safety awareness,
education, and enforcement program.
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The first task was to develop and seek support for a
Bike Helmet Policy for Atlantic County Middle Schools through the
following strategies and activities:
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The Task Force and the Atlantic County
Association of Chiefs of Police developed a strategy focusing on the
problem of children under the age of 14 riding bikes to school without
safety helmets. The two groups then drafted a School Bike Helmet
Policy for the county's middle schools.
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Sought Civil Tort Liability Opinion regarding the
legal responsibilities for school districts to properly supervise
bicycling and the use of bicycle helmets by students who are permitted
to bring bicycles onto school property.
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In order to develop support for the policy,
representatives of both groups presented information about bike helmet
safety concerns at a meeting of the Atlantic County Superintendents of
Schools.
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Distributed the School Bike Helmet Policy and the
Civil Tort Liability Opinion to each of the County's 24 Public School
Districts; followed up with individual schools districts on adopting a
School Bike Helmet Policy
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Promoted the School Bike Helmet Policy in news
releases and public affairs radio and television programming.
The Atlantic County Office of Highway Safety also
sought to develop and coordinate bike safety education and inspection
programs for middle schools in districts that have bike paths that are
used by children going to and from school.
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Under the direction of the Task Force, the
Atlantic County Office of Highway Safety met with local school
officials and police chiefs in the targeted counties to develop a bike
safety education and inspection program. The Office of Highway Safety
will coordinate scheduling of bike safety education and inspection
programs and media coverage of the events.
-
The Office also assisted local police departments
in obtaining bike repair kits, bike helmets, reflectors, and bicycle
safety materials for the program.
-
The program was implemented in the middle schools
in September and October of 2001 and from April through June of 2002.
Bike helmet usage surveys were conducted during the same time period.
RESULTS
-
To date, 15 of the 24 Atlantic County School
Districts have adopted a bike helmet policy; the nine other school
districts do not permit students to ride bikes to school. Eight of the
school districts have also adopted or have expressed interest in
implementing a Helmets 4-LIFE program.
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Bike helmet usage went up dramatically, with
increases ranging from 40 percent to 76 percent.
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In the first six months of 2002, there were no
bicycle or skateboard traffic fatalities in Atlantic County.
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