==
Bike-Walk Alliance of NH ==
NH BikeSmart Program Continues in Third Year for Kids' Bike Safety
June
2009, Hanover, NH
The NH BikeSmart program brought bicycle safety information to thousands of
kids at New Hampshire elementary schools for the third year. There were 48 bike
safety presentations given by three NH BikeSmart instructors in 26 different
schools reaching 3,284 student and adult attendees. Since 2007, the program
has visited 93 schools and 12,754 students and adults have attended the bike
safety sessions. The program was smaller this year (three instructors compared
to seven last year) due to a decline in grant funding but the number of attendees
for the program per instructor increased by 23 percent.
Teachers at the
schools raved about the NH BikeSmart program. A sample of comments: "The
instructor's presentation was very nicely done, very organized and planned,"
said a teacher at the Jackson Grammer School. A St. Anthony School staff person
felt "the students were very attentive and they will retain the material.
The instructor was knowledgeable and funny so the students will remember it."
A Newington teacher said "the kids were really engaged," while a teacher
at Birch Hill Elementary School commented that the instructor "truly understands
kids, how they think and how they behave, he was excellent!" A Newfields
staff member stated, "This was the best bike safety presenter I have seen!"
This year, the BikeSmart program received a grant from the Byrne Foundation
to implement the standardized bike safety program in New Hampshire elementary
schools. Other contributing organizations include the Bike-Walk Alliance of
NH, a bicycling and pedestrian organization and NH Department of Health &
Human Services.
The NH BikeSmart safety program instructors talked to kids about wearing and fitting helmets, dressing bright and tight, bicycle safety quick check, and some basic rules of the road. The program coordinator, Roger Lohr of Hanover, NH produced the grant proposals. He was certified as a BikeSmart instructor in the state of Vermont and has given BikeSmart presentations in elementary schools for three years.
A survey conducted by the NH DOT Bicycle Pedestrian Transportation Advisory Board showed that 93 percent of school nurses at the 316 elementary schools in the state are interested in expanding bike safety outreach in the schools. There are about 50,000 third-fifth grade students in New Hampshire's elementary schools and it is expected that NH BikeSmart can reach many students each year.
The NH BikeSmart program also distributed flyers to reinforce the bike safety message with parents. According to the NH Highway Safety Agency, more than 600 children in the nation die from bicycle crashes each year, most only a few blocks from home, and three of four cyclists that are killed in crashes die of head injuries. NH BikeSmart targeted kids in the schools to help spread the safety message and encourage bicyclists and motorists to safely share the roads.
If interested in
requesting a presentation, becoming a NH BikeSmart instructor, or for more information,
contact Roger Lohr at Lohr21@myfairpoint.net or call 603-643-0920
The list of schools that requested
the NH BikeSmart presentations in 2008 and 2009 are on this Bike-Walk Alliance
web site. If interested in requesting a presentation, becoming a NH BikeSmart
instructor, or for more information, contact Roger Lohr at Lohr21@myfairpoint.net
or call 603-643-0920.