October 1 , 1998

provided by Andrew Poole

Lately, there’s been quite a fuss about safety on the roads in Boone.  A lot of this fuss has dealt with bicycles and how bike riders are both part of the problem and the solution.

On one hand, if more people rode bikes, there would be fewer cars on the road. On the other hand, many people worry that when bikers ride in traffic, especially without a helmet, they can be seriously injured if they get in an accident with a car.

It’s actually illegal to not wear your helmet in North Carolina.  According to the state government, bikes are now considered cars and are required to follow all the same traffic laws, making it much more dangerous to ride on major roads, especially in Boone.

Each year in the United States, there are approximately 500,000 bike-related injuries and 2,000 bike-related deaths.

Seventy-five percent of these deaths involve head trauma.  In 1996, 96 percent of the cyclists who were killed, were not wearing helmets.

Helmets can reduce deaths caused by head trauma by 88 percent.

The “Grateful Head,” set up by Dr. Tim Ludwig of the Department of Psychology and Magic Cycles of Boone, is an intervention program to make the area a safer place to ride. 

“Grateful Head” agents will be out this week on campus handing out free water bottles. Inside these water bottles is a safety information pamphlet.  Included in this information  is a pledge card that guarantees a FREE helmet (or $30 towards a more expensive helmet) at Magic Cycles.

If you already have a helmet, you can receive $15 towards anything in Magic Cycles.

And if you don’t have a helmet, please, if you value life at all, get one.