COLUMBUS—May is Bike Helmet Safety Awareness Month, and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is partnering with the American Academy of Pediatrics – Ohio Chapter for the Put A Lid On It! campaign to provide nearly 10,000 bicycle helmets to children across the state.

Partners from nearly 160 law enforcement agencies, community organizations, Safe Routes to School programs, and Safe Communities programs traveled to Columbus to pick up their allotment of helmets.

Since 2018, almost 2,000 children under 18 have been struck by motor vehicles while biking in Ohio, with more than 200 of these crashes resulting in either a life-altering injury or fatality. Researchers found that nearly three-quarters of all bike-related fatalities would have been prevented by wearing a helmet.

“Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent and severe brain injury by 88 percent,” said Ohio AAP CEO Melissa Wervey Arnold. “It’s important that kids not only wear a helmet, but that the helmet is the right size and fitted properly.”

This year marks the 13th year of the distribution and the eighth year of the partnership between Ohio AAP and ODOT. “We want to equip our most vulnerable road users who are learning how to ride with everything they might need to be able to continue riding in the future,” said ODOT Active Transportation Manager Caitlin Harley.

ODOT is also supporting local governments and school districts with infrastructure enhancements through its Safe Routes to School program, which makes it safer for children to walk and bike to school. “We know that providing and maintaining sidewalks and paths for kids to travel separated from traffic is critical for reducing conflicts and ultimately eliminating injury and fatalities,” Harley said.

Motorists are advised to slow down and drive at a safe speed, look for people biking when turning, change lanes to pass, and put away their phones. In Ohio, bikes are vehicles, and people on bikes have the same roadway rights and responsibilities as other vehicles.

To learn more about Bike Helmet Safety Awareness Month and the Put A Lid On It campaign, visit the Ohio AAP’s website at ohioaap.org/putalidonit. To learn more about ODOT’s active transportation programs, visit walk.ohio.gov.