Posts Tagged ‘“bike helmets”’
Our Project KidSafe Campaign Continues in Arlington, Cambridge and Ashland
Breakstone, White & Gluck’s Project KidSafe campaign recently donated bicycle helmets in Arlington, Cambridge and Ashland. This has been our busiest year yet and we have been enjoying working with our friends, old and new.
Windsor Street Health Center in Cambridge. We recently gained a new partner, the medical students at the Windsor Street Health Center in Cambridge. The helmets will be donated to children who visit the center and need one. Many families served by the health center will not or cannot purchase bicycle helmets on their own, even after doctors explain the risk of a head injury, said Jonathan Blake Watson, a fourth-year Harvard Medical student who works at the clinic.
“It is a wonderful feeling knowing that we will be able to send our young patients home with something that will keep them safe,” Watson said.
Pierce School in Arlington. The elementary school’s students were focused on being active this year, with monthly “Walk to School Days.” Many students participated. When the school set up a bicycle rack, many also started biking. For National Bike Month, the students received a bike safety lesson and guidelines for following the rules of the road. Project KidSafe helmets were distributed to children who needed one and participated in a raffle.
Ashland Farmers Market. We returned to the Ashland Farmers Market for a second year and fitted bicycle helmets for 60 young children. We attended on Sustainability Day and were joined local farmers and other vendors, such as the Massachusetts Sierra Club and community members updating the public on the Upper Charles Rail Trail, a bike path which will pass through Ashland when complete.
About Breakstone, White & Gluck and Project KidSafe
Breakstone, White & Gluck launched Project KidSafe in 2013, with a goal of providing bicycle helmets to children who need one. Since then, we have donated more than 5,000 bicycle helmets and worked with organizations such as Boston Bikes’ Roll It Forward, CYCLE Kids, Bikes Not Bombs and Massachusetts Safe Routes to Schools.
Wearing a bicycle helmet is the most effective way for cyclists to prevent head injuries and young children are the most vulnerable. Visit our Bike Safety page and watch the video on how to properly fit a bicycle helmet.
Breakstone, White & Gluck Donates 150 Bike Helmets for Children in Westwood
Westwood families received free bike helmets for their children and learned about cycling and pedestrian safety at Westwood Town Day on September 27th.
The Westwood Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Committee hosted an informational table at the town celebration which was held at the Westwood High School. Breakstone, White & Gluck donated 150 bike helmets which were distributed to children age 16 and younger. The helmets went quickly at the annual event, which offers a fireworks display, music, food and road races for adults and children over the course of two days. Committee members fit children for the bike helmets and explained the importance of always wearing them. Attorney David White, a Westwood resident and committee member, helped fit the helmets.
In Massachusetts, children age 16 and younger are required by law to wear bike helmets. Cyclists of all ages should wear helmets to protect themselves and reduce the risk of head and brain injuries. Many cyclists neglect to do this. In fact, less than half of all cyclists actually wear helmets, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Breakstone, White & Gluck donated the helmets as part of Project KidSafe, our community service project to help prevent injuries among children. Our firm’s specialty is handling personal injury cases for those who have been injured, so we know firsthand the importance of injury prevention. We are devoted to keeping children safe. This is the second year we have donated bicycle helmets to organizations around the state. So far, we have donated over 2,000 helmets.
Read More
Breakstone, White & Gluck Donates 100 Bike Helmets, Partners with the Westborough Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee
Cycling safety became a fun lesson in Westborough last weekend, as 100 children learned a few basics about the road and got to take home new bike helmets.
The Westborough Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and attorney David White handed out the bike helmets on Saturday at the Westborough Spring Festival and the Boroughs Family Branch of the YMCA of Central Massachusetts.
Breakstone, White & Gluck donated the helmets and will donate more at several other events in the Boston area this year. Our goal is to encourage bike helmet use to reduce the risk of head injury among children. This is the second year we have donated bike helmets to children and our first year working with the Westborough community.
“It was a pleasure to work with the Westborough Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, the Westborough Rotary, and the Boroughs Family Branch of the YMCA of Central Massachusetts,” attorney David White said. “We were able to quickly fit 125 bicycle helmets on young kids–and an occasional parent too!”
Each year, 26,000 children and adolescents sustain traumatic brain injuries related to cycling and are treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms. In 2010, children and teenagers under the age of 20 accounted for about half of all 515,000 bicycle-related injuries in the U.S.
The Westborough Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee’s mission is to explore ways Westborough can become safer for pedestrians and cyclists, work to develop a rail trail along an old trolley line in town and advise the Board of Selectmen on roadway safety issues and preventing bicycle accidents. In addition, the committee is working to encourage private and community investment in bike racks and signage.
Photos: Top: Bruce Tretter and members of the Westborough Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and attorney David White of Breakstone, White & Gluck at the Westborough Spring Festival. Bottom: Attorney David White at the Boroughs Family Branch of the YMCA of Central Massachusetts.
Visit our Bike Safety Outreach page to learn more about our bike helmet donation events.
Boston Bikes’ Roll It Forward Program Kicks Off A New Season of Helping Children Ride Safely
The Boston Bikes’ Roll It Forward program has kicked off another season of important and fun work. On Tuesday, Roll It Forward gave away 59 refurbished bikes to children ages 5-7 who needed one. The donation was part of “Bike Day” at the West Broadway housing development in South Boston and is one of many Boston Bikes will organize this year.
Children at the housing development were asked in advance if they wanted to receive a bike. On Tuesday, they waited in line, got to choose a new bike helmet, and then were presented with a bicycle refurbished just for them. They also got to meet Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, who helped hand out bikes and played basketball with the kids.
From there, the children got to practice on an obstacle course with help from volunteers, as their parents, grandparents and friends cheered them along. There was plenty of activity for other cyclists too. Boston Bikes was selling $5 subsidized memberships for the Hubway bike share program and provided free safety inspections for 31 cyclists. Another 10 residents used the event to give back, by donating their own bikes to help Roll It Forward.
Photo: Attorney David White shown volunteering for the Boston Bikes’ Roll It Forward event on April 22, 2014. He helped children select bike helmets and made sure they properly fit.
Breakstone, White & Gluck is in its second year of supporting Boston Bikes’ Roll It Forward. This year, we are donating bike helmets for children, along with bike locks and bike lights. Cyclists are required to use bike lights if they cycle at night (defined under the law as thirty minutes after sunset until thirty minutes before sunrise).
“We are so happy to support Boston Bikes,” attorney David White said. “The program does an amazing job gathering, fixing, and giving away the bicycles. The kids know this is a special event and they really pay attention, including to when we explain the importance of always wearing a bike helmet to help prevent head injury.”
Photo: Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh with Nicole Freedman, Director of Boston Bikes, Jenny Duquette, community programs manager, and Boston Bikes staff and volunteers, including attorney David White. April 22, 2014.
About Breakstone, White & Gluck
Breakstone, White & Gluck, a Boston personal injury law firm, is pleased to partner with Boston Bikes. Our attorneys encourage all cyclists to wear bike helmets to reduce the risk of serious head injuries while riding. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bicyclists face a higher risk of crash-related injuries than drivers and occupants of motor vehicles. Children ages 5-14 and young adults ages 15-24 account for 60 percent of all bike-related injuries seen in U.S. hospital emergency rooms.
In 2013, we were proud to donate over 1,000 bike helmets to children in the Boston area. We are donating even more helmets this year. To learn more about our bicycle safety outreach, visit www.bwglaw.com/project-kidsafe/. We also invite you to follow our Facebook page.
Amazing Kids Learn Important Cycling Skills at iCan Shine Camp in Arlington
This blog is about a special bicycle camp that is being held in Arlington this week. Breakstone, White & Gluck was happy to donate bike helmets to support the iCan Shine Bike Camp, which fills a very important need and teaches children with disabilities how to ride bicycles. Please read about the camp, its organizer Nina Fischer and all the energetic and skilled instructors and volunteers.
This April school vacation was not a traditional break for two dozen children in Arlington. These children with disabilities spent their time off hard at work, learning how to ride bicycles at the iCan Shine Bike Camp at the Ottoson Middle School.
Children with disabilities do not have as many options for learning to ride and it is especially important in communities near Boston where cycling is so popular, said Nina Fischer, the camp’s organizer. Fischer tried to get her daughter who has cerebral palsy into bike camps for three years (including one as far away as New Jersey) before being approached to organize an iCan Shine Bike Camp locally. iCan Shine is a national non-profit organization which teaches children with disabilities how to ride bicycles. Each year, it hosts nearly 100 camps in 32 states.
Fischer said the children come ready to learn from professional instructors from the iCan Shine national organization. Add in supportive parents and volunteers who agree to guide the children on bikes five days in a row, and the combination all proves very successful.
“This is a skill they have for life,” Fischer said. “Most of these kids don’t have to come back.”
Breakstone, White & Gluck donated the bike helmets for the camp and attorney Marc Breakstone attended and got to meet the young cyclists. He said, “We are so pleased to give helmets to these courageous kids to help make sure that they ride safely.”
Fischer organized the first Arlington camp last year and her daughter participated. But this year, her daughter decided she had learned enough not to come back.
“That’s what is great,” Fischer said. “Once you have it, you pretty much have it down.”
But she added, “I’m totally hooked. I can’t imagine not doing it. Someone has to do it.”
According to the national organization’s website, about 80 percent of the children can successfully ride bikes independently by the end of the five-day camp. Nationwide, about 35 percent of the participants have Down Syndrome, 35 percent are on the Autism Spectrum and the rest have other diagnosis, Fischer said.
We attended on Tandem Tuesday, when the national instructors gave each child a turn riding on the front of the tandem bike. An instructor sat on the back seat to assess the child’s steering ability and strength.
We also got to see the children make their way around the school gym with the specialized adaptive rear wheel equipment. These wheels are developed from research by Dr. Richard Klein at the University of Illinois. They are now made by his company Rainbow Trainers, Inc.
To help the children learn cycling, over the course of a few hours, the iCan Shine instructors change the strength of the bicycle rear tires up to 8 or 10 times. The children are not supposed to know about the change and are encouraged to get a cup of water or take a short break while the change happens.
While using these special rear wheels, children are riding bikes provided by the national iCan Shine organization. These bikes have no brakes. The children rely solely on their own steering and the volunteers to guide them.
By mid-week, the children progress to two-wheel bikes with brakes. Later in the week, the instructors will start to work with Belmont Wheelworks and the children’s parents on ordering bikes which will best suit each child. They then take the bikes to the gym to practice with the iCan Shine instructors.
“Sometimes that transition is difficult, rocky,” said Andrea Patrick, floor supervisor for the national iCan Shine program. “That’s why we try to do it at camp, where they have learned the skills and it is a safe environment.”
About Breakstone, White & Gluck
Breakstone, White & Gluck, a Boston personal injury law firm, encourages all cyclists to wear bike helmets to reduce the risk of serious head injuries while riding.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bicyclists face a higher risk of crash-related injuries than drivers and occupants of motor vehicles. Children ages 5-14 and young adults ages 15-24 have the highest rates of non-fatal bicycle related injuries and account for 60 percent of all bike-related injuries seen in U.S. hospital emergency rooms.
In 2013, we were proud to donate over 1,000 bike helmets to children in the Boston area. We are donating more helmets this year. To learn more about our bicycle safety outreach, visit www.bwglaw.com/project-kidsafe/. We also invite you to follow our Facebook page.
Fourth Season Begins for Boston’s Hubway Bike Share Program
Hubway, Boston’s popular bike share program, launched its fourth season earlier this month. Four years shows a lot of ground covered for the program.
Hubway was launched on July 28, 2011, as a partnership between the City of Boston and Alta Bicycle Share, with 600 bikes at 60 rental stations. The program has been a big success and this season, riders will share 1,300 bikes at 140 bike rental stations in Boston, Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline. The program hit the 1,500,000-rider mark last Thanksgiving, then closed out 2013 with nearly 10,000 annual subscribers (and that’s not counting the short-term memberships).
In the past, Boston split both operating costs and profits with Alta Bicycle Share. Boston paid for its share using private sponsorships and public grant money.
But Boston is now venturing out on its own. Under a new contract, Boston will fund all operating costs and pay Alta Bicycle Share for services. The city will buy all services for a lower rate, about 30 percent less. For each bike dock, this translates into about $70 per month for maintenance and operations. This is lower than other U.S. programs, such as the Capital Bikeshare in Washington D.C., which pays $111 per bike dock.
This is good news and comes at a time when other cities are struggling to pay the bills for their bike shares. Montreal’s bike-share program filed for bankruptcy in January and New York City’s bike program recently asked officials for millions of dollars in aid.
In addition to seeking public grants and private sponsorship, Boston has kept costs down by closing bike racks for the winter. However, this past winter, Cambridge sites were kept open as a pilot test program.
What is new with Hubway this season:
Cambridge. The city kept Hubway racks open throughout this winter, as part of a pilot program. The system saw an average of 2,000 Hubway trips per week, with no injuries or incidents reported. Six new stations are expected to open this season.
Boston. Ten new Hubway stations are expected in Jamaica Plain and Dorchester this year.
Boston bike helmets. The program asks all riders to agree to wear helmets in their rental contract and has partnered with city businesses to offer subsidized helmets in the past. Last fall, it tested the first bike helmet vending machine in Back Bay, on the corners of Boylston and Massachusetts Avenue. The vending machine holds three dozen helmets and accepts returns.
Bike helmets are required for cyclists age 16 and under in Massachusetts. In addition to requiring use for Hubway cyclists, Boston city officials have discussed the possibility of passing a local law mandating use by all cyclists to protect riders from the risk of long-term head injuries in bicycle accidents.
Brookline. The city will re-open the same four stations in Coolidge Corner, Washington Square and Brookline Village.
Somerville. Somerville will open 12 stations this year. One change is the Ball Square station will be moved to Magoun Square.
Read More
Attorney David White Receives Volunteer of the Year Award from Boston Bikes
Attorney David White was recognized for his contributions to Boston’s cycling community at last night’s 6th Annual Boston Bike Update, which was held in the historic Faneuil Hall in Boston.
White, an attorney at Breakstone, White & Gluck, received the Volunteer of the Year award from Boston Bikes, the city office which oversees the growth of safety infrastructure, the Hubway bike share facilities, and programs for youth and low-income residents. White was honored alongside Bikes Not Bombs of Jamaica Plain, which received the Organization of the Year award. Jon Ramos was named Rookie Advocate of the Year and Vineet Gupta was Unsung Hero of the Year.
Photo credit: LivableStreets/www.livablestreets.info. Attorney David W. White of Breakstone, White & Gluck and Nicole Freedman, Director of Boston Bikes, during the 6th Annual Boston Bike Update at Faneuil Hall.
Jenny Duquette, Community Cycling Program Manager, introduced White:
“Our Volunteer of the Year is a former president of the Massachusetts Bar Association and a trial lawyer at Breakstone, White, & Gluck, which donated 160 helmets to Roll It Forward in 2013.”
“Like any superstar volunteer, he wanted to have an impact, so last year he volunteered at several bike giveaways as our helmet station guru – getting the kids excited about their new helmets, while making sure they got a helmet that actually fit! This year, his firm is donating helmets, locks, and light sets.”
Boston Bikes and Roll It Forward
Roll It Forward collects, repairs and distributes bikes to low-income Boston residents who might not otherwise have access to one. The program’s goal is to promote a healthier lifestyle with increased physical activity and fewer trips by car. As of January 2014, the program had distributed 2,728 bicycles. It plans to donate 850 more in 2014. In one very busy two-year period, the city’s youth cycling program gave safety classes to over 7,770 youth.
Former Mayor Thomas Menino established Boston Bikes in 2007 by hiring transportation planner and former Olympic cyclist Nicole Freedman. At that time, Boston only had 60 yards of bike lanes and was frequently cited as the worst city in the country for cyclists.
Today, the city has 60 miles of bike lanes. Boston Bikes is working to expand the network by adding a variety of new bike lanes, including new cycletracks, which will put a barrier between bike lanes and cars. The Hubway program, which launched in July 2011, continues to grow with more bike stations in Boston as well as Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline. And the program strongly encourages use of helmets, by asking riders to agree to wear helmets in the Hubway contracts, partnering with businesses to offer subsidized helmets and opening the first-in-the-nation helmet vending machine in Back Bay.
Related:
Watch the Boston Bike Update.
Read more about Boston Bikes.
View Facebook photos of the 6th Annual Boston Bike Update.
Read More
Bicycle Helmet Vending Machines Coming to Boston
Safety is about to get more convenient for Boston cyclists. The City of Boston is bringing bike helmet vending machines here later this month.
Boston is the first U.S. city to offer this service and the goal is aimed largely at helping riders of the Hubway bike share program. The city, in partnership with Alta Bicycle Share, launched Hubway in 2011. Today, there are more than 1,000 rental bikes in Boston and also Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline.
The first bike helmet vending machine will open Aug. 26 at a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the Boston Public Library in Copley Square. It will be attached to a Hubway bike station. Other vending machines will be installed in additional areas.
How Will It Work?
Cyclists will be able to purchase or rent the bike helmets. Cyclists can either buy a helmet or pay $2 to rent a helmet for up to 24 hours (pricing is still being finalized). After that, their credit card will be charged to buy the helmet for about $20 (pricing is still being finalized there too). When helmets are returned, they will be taken to a warehouse for inspection and cleaned before going back into the machines. The helmets were designed by HelmetHub, formed by a group of MIT students as a class project.
Next Step a Boston Bike Helmet Law?
Massachusetts only requires cyclists who are 16 years old or younger to wear bike helmets. But in many areas, they are encouraged for all riders as protection against head injury.
One study reported 80 percent of bike share riders in Boston are not wearing helmets. The study by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center researchers reported the same figure for Washington D.C. Riders who owned their own bikes wore helmets about half the time.
The City of Boston has worked to encourage bike helmet use by subsidizing helmets for $7.99 and making them available at stores throughout the city. City officials announced a few months ago that their long-term goal is to pass a bike helmet law for Boston, which would require cyclists of all ages to wear helmets in the city.
Our Bike Helmet Donations for Children
The Boston bicycle accident lawyers at Breakstone, White & Gluck have over 90 years combined experience representing injured cyclists. We are proud supporters of the Boston cycling community. In 2013, we donated 1,000 bike helmets to children through programs such as Mayor Menino’s Boston Bikes Roll It Forward, CYCLE Kids of Cambridge, the Somerville Kiwanis Club and Winter Hill Community School and the Dedham Bike Rodeo.
If you have been injured in a cycling accident, it is important to learn your rights. For a free legal consultation, contact us at 800-379-1244 or 617-723-7676 or use our contact form.
Breakstone, White & Gluck Donates 175 Helmets to Somerville Bike Safety Day
Bike Safety Day in Somerville is always a great way for children to kick off a summer of safe bicycle riding. This year, Breakstone, White & Gluck was pleased to participate, donating 175 helmets to the Somerville Kiwanis Club for distribution to children from the Winter Hill Community School. Over 130 children were fitted for helmets that day and the school was given the rest to give students individually as needed.
Above photo includes: John Welch, Winter Hill School Re-Direct Officer; Somerville Police Officer MaryAnn Manfra; David Blumsack, Somerville Kiwanis Club Event Organizer; attorney David White of Breakstone, White & Gluck; George McLean of the Somerville Kiwanis Club; Nancy Bushnach of the Somerville Kiwanis Club and Ellen O’Brien of the Somerville Kiwanis Club.
The event is hosted annually by the Somerville Kiwanis Club and was held at the Winter Hill Community School playground on June 22. Children who registered in advance came out with their bikes for a free inspection, helmets and reflectors. Children and parents then had to test out their new skills on bike safety obstacle courses.
As part of the event, children registered their bikes with the Somerville Police Department and were given fingerprinting kits.
The helmet donation was part of Breakstone, White & Gluck’s Project KidSafe, launched this year. To date, our firm has donated over 900 helmets and is on track to donate 1,000 by the end of summer.
Our Boston lawyers have donated helmets to children in need through these programs: Boston Bikes’ Roll It Forward program, CYCLE Kids in Cambridge, Boston Cyclists Union and the Dedham Bike Rodeo. Bikes Not Bombs of Jamaica Plain was given a monetary donation to support its youth programming.
Above: Attorney David White of Breakstone, White & Gluck of Boston.
Below: Somerville Police Office MaryAnn Manfra.
