Kids receive free DQ ice cream cones through AAA’s I Got Caught Program
Warm weather means many children spend more time outdoors enjoying their favorite activities including riding bikes, skateboards and scooters as well as in-line skating. It is important parents and caregivers ensure their children are wearing a properly-fitted helmet while enjoying these activities.
AAA Minnesota/Iowa, the Minnesota Sheriffs Association, the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association and Dairy Queen are rewarding children for wearing helmets while doing these activities. The “I Got Caught” program uses law enforcement to “catch” youth wearing a helmet while riding a bike, scooter, skateboard or in-line skating. Law enforcement will “cite” the child “caught” and the child will be rewarded with a mock citation with a coupon for a free child-sized ice cream cone at participating Dairy Queen restaurants. The program, which runs from May 1 through Labor Day, teaches using your mind to protect your body, and creating safer communities by preventing traumatic injuries.
More than 27 million children ages 5 to 14 ride a bike. Unfortunately, this group also experiences the largest percentage of bike deaths and injuries. The death rate for bicyclists, ages 5 to 14, is still nearly twice the rate for all other bicyclists.
A common misconception parents have is that unless their child is riding on a busy road, their child does not need a helmet. However, the majority of adolescent bicycle-related fatalities occur on minor roads that are less than one mile away from their home. Without helmet protection, even a small fall can have damaging affects to your child.
“These injuries and deaths can easily be prevented by wearing a properly-fitted helmet,” said Gail Weinholzer, director of public affairs. “When worn properly, helmets decrease the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent and the risk of brain injury by as much as 88 percent. It makes sense to wear a helmet, which is why it is shocking that less than 25 percent of children actually do.”
AAA Minnesota/Iowa, which includes more than 778,000 members, offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services. It is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG), the largest affiliation of AAA clubs in the Midwest, with 4.1 million members in eight states.
Contacts:
AAA Minnesota/Iowa
Gail Weinholzer, 952-707-4985
or
Shannon
Swanson, 952-707-4623
