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Wear helmet, get ticket?
By Margo O'Hara
Wilmette police stopped about
2,000 children this summer. But it wasn't because they were breaking
the law. They were caught being good — wearing their bicycle
helmets.
For the fifth year, the
Wilmette Youth Commission teamed up with the Wilmette Bicycle
Task Force and Wilmette's police department to issue coupons to
children as a way to encourage them — and their parents —
to wear their helmets.
Youth Commissioner Joe Feldman said that between Memorial Day and
Labor Day each year, about 2,000 coupons are distributed to young
bicyclists. Children can redeem these coupons for summer treats
like ice cream, pizza and pop at 15 local businesses.
Feldman said the program sees a redemption rate of about 20 to 35
percent.
"It's a really positive interaction between police and the
kids," Feldman said.
This bicycle safety program is trying to reach as many Wilmette
parents and children as possible.
"We view this as one program that has to complement what the
schools are doing and what parents are doing," he said.
The program is the first of its kind, and Feldman encourages other
communities to repeat Wilmette's efforts.
"We think this is a great program in Wilmette," he said.
"We have kind of done the heavy lifting. If another community
is interested in implementing it, we would be happy to share ideas
with them."
"We are trying to find different ways to get the message across
and have a good impact," Feldman said.
Questions about bringing the program to your community can be sent
to youth@wilmette.com.
Margo O'Hara is the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's
Communications Manager.
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