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Police Carry Out Sting At Middle School
Students Given Warnings For Breaking Helmet Law
It seemed like an ordinary day as students left Challenger Middle School. But, police officers were in position and looking for students who were breaking the law.
Mark McCullough, from the San Diego Police Department, said, "In less than 20 minutes, we issued 13 traffic warnings."
Nearly 61 percent of the students at Challenger Middle School do not wear their bicycle helmets properly.
Officers gave specially designed warnings to students with unlatched bicycle helmet straps or no helmets at all.
"We, as (the) San Diego Police Department, will be following up with a letter to the parents that your youth was warned for not wearing a helmet properly," McCullough said.
According to 10News, police officers will hand out tickets the next time they catch the students not wearing their helmets properly.
"The next time they come by, we'll be giving tickets to the parents, with a fine of $25," McCullough said.
The police department teamed up with the Safe Kids Coalition and the Health and Human Services Agency to remind children about helmet safety.
Josh Krimston, a firefighter and paramedic, demonstrated how a helmet should be worn. He said the helmet should come across the forehead, the clips should be placed below the ears and the strap should be snug, but comfortable.
Each year in the United States, more than 700 people die as a result of bicycle-related injuries, and about 500,000 are hurt.
"We're going to see a reduction by 85 percent if children are wearing helmets properly," Krimston said.
A portion of the $25 fine for helmet safety violations will be used to fund the Child Injury Prevention and helmet education programs.
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