Lancashire police rewarding safe-riding kids

More than 33,000 road safety packs are to be handed out this summer by Lancashire police to young cyclists wearing helmets reports the Lancashire Telegraph.

The packs are part of a scheme which sees officers speaking to youngsters about the importance of wearing a helmet and giving out special activity packs to those who follow road safety advice.

Insp Alison Barff-Lewis told the Telegraph: “Wearing a cycling helmet can help to prevent injuries and can even save a life.

“This initiative is about encouraging children to wear a helmet and helping them to stay safe on our roads. We first piloted this scheme in Coppull in November last year and children were very responsive to it.

"We have therefore decided to roll the scheme out across the county and hopefully get the important message out to youngsters that they should always wear a helmet when riding their bike.”

The packs have been supplied by the Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust. Angela Lee, chief executive of the Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust, told the Post: “We are delighted that the Force is participating with this initiative.

"A total of 33,000 packs have been handed out across the country and they are a great way of interacting with young people on road safety.”

The Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust founded in 1998 by a paediatric nurse who saw first-hand the effects of head injuries to children and their families.