COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics are teaming up to hand out 13,000 free bike helmets in 61 counties throughout the state.
On Monday, ODOT distributed those helmets to participating agencies and organizations that work with children as part of the “Put A Lid On It” campaign, which aims to lower the number of bicycling deaths.
The department said only 10-20% of Ohio children wear a helmet when riding a bike, and 75% of biking-related deaths could be prevented by wearing one.
ODOT said it’s just one of many tools available to keep children safe as they get where they need to be.
“We know that there’s so many ways we can keep people safe, having good protected infrastructure, wearing our bike lights can help us be more visible as well as wearing helmets,” ODOT Active Transportation Manager Caitlin Harley said.
Community organizations can apply for free helmets through the Ohio chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics in January and February.