KILAUEA — The basketball court at Kilauea School was transformed into a training ground yesterday for bicyclists as Charito Bartlett of the Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition and Jeff Hashimoto of the Kaua`i Police Traffic Safety Unit worked to get children
KILAUEA — The basketball court at Kilauea School was transformed into a
training ground yesterday for bicyclists as Charito Bartlett of the Keiki
Injury Prevention Coalition and Jeff Hashimoto of the Kaua`i Police Traffic
Safety Unit worked to get children more aware of the new bicycle helmet law, as
well as help them become better riders.
The new law that went into effect
Tuesday requires that everyone 16 years of age and under wear a helmet while
bicycling. Failure to comply with the law can result in a $25 fine, the safety
group explained to the third-grade class that was kept attentive by the
routines of O’ahu bike education instructors Chris Kalani Clark and John
Glasser.
Bartlett explained that students who complete the course would
receive a free helmet that was acquired through a grant from the Department of
Transportation.
“Normally, the program runs for 45 minutes a day for a
week,” Bartlett said. “But since this is the first time for the bike ed
instructors, and because of their limited stay here, the students are being put
through an accelerated schedule.”
About 90 students in shifts were
accommodated Thursday, the first of two days of training at Kilauea School.
Another 90 were to go through the session this morning.
An additional 30 to
40 students are also participating in a similar program being conducted by the
Boys and Girls Club in Kapa`a. But they have a whole week, so they are going
through the entire instructional program which requires the passage of a road
test.
Between the two programs, over 200 students will have been educated
about bicycle safety and safe riding rules before the week is up.
Bartlett
pointed out that the bike education program has been in force on O`ahu for
about 10 years, and the instructors that were here for the eastside clinics
work with about 8,000 students a year over there.
Hashimoto, after watching
the youthful riders go through the routines, said he would like a similar
program to develop on Kaua’i.
In addition to the hands-on portion of the
course—which included supervised riding skills in which riders were required
to weave through a course marked off by traffic cones as well as a
follow-the-leader routine headed by one of the instructors—the students were
also briefed on how to properly secure the required headgear by fastening the
helmet so it provides a secure fit.
The program closes with each cyclist
reciting an oath in which they promise to become better riders by abiding by
the laws, and to ride safer by becoming better aware of their bicycles as well
as following safety rules—and to always wear their helmets.
Clark
explained there are safety standards that bicycle helmets need to meet.
Consumers buying a helmet should check if the helmet carries the Consumer
Product Safety Commission certification sticker, which verifies that the
product meets current safety standards.
Fred Rose, principal of Kilauea
School, was impressed with the response of the students to the new program. He
said he’d like all students in the third through sixth grades go through the
program.
The police had five loaner bikes available for students who did
not have a bike so that everyone would have an opportunity for the hands-on
instruction.
Also on hand were American Medical Response paramedics from
the Kilauea station who stopped by to check on the progress of the Keiki Injury
Prevention Coalition’s efforts.
Staff photographer Dennis Fujimoto can
be reached at 245-3681.
