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Police Unity Tour Arrival Ceremony
Friday May 12, 2006
2:00 PM

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial

Begun in 1997, the Police Unity Tour has raised more than $2.2 million for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Each Police Week, hundreds of officers "Ride for those who died" from New York City to Washington and raise money on behalf of the NLEOMF. They culminate their ride at the National Law Enforcement Memorial, where they are given a grand welcome in Police Week style.

Sponsor: National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial

Biking is one of our most popular outdoor activities. As the warm weather season approaches, more then 67 million bicycle riders in the United States will take to our roads and trails. Approximately 27 million of these bicyclists are children under the age of 14. The youngsters of this group ride about 50 percent more than the average bicyclist. Each year approximately 300 children under the age of 14 are killed in bicycle related incidents. Of these deaths, 90 percent are the result of collisions with motor vehicles. Bicycle related deaths are highest in children ages 10-14.

Your child may not think that wearing a helmet is “cool”. You may think that bike helmets cost too much. Nonetheless, a helmet can save a child from serious head injury in a fall or collision. Most serious bike crashes happen close to home on quiet streets. The majority of bicycle crashes do not involve motor vehicles. About 95 percent of injury producing bicycle mishaps occur when a bicyclist falls or runs into other objects. When children fall off bikes, there is a significant risk of hilling their heads. Hands and knees hilling the ground may cause cuts, bruises or broken bones, but if a child’s head strikes the ground, even at slow speeds, permanent brain injury may result. Research has shown that wearing a bicycle helmet can reduce the risk of head injury and trauma by as much as 85 percent.

New Jersey Motor Vehicle Law (39:4-1 0.1) requires that all persons under the age of 14 who operate a bicycle, wear a properly filled and fastened bicycle helmet that meets the safety standards of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI Z90.4 bicycle helmet standard) or the Snell Memorial Foundations’ 1984 Standard for Protective Headgear for Use in Bicycling. This requirement also applies to a person who rides upon a bicycle while in a restraining seat which is attached to the bicycle or in a trailer towed by the bicycle. Furthermore, a legal guardian may be subject to a fine for a violation of this requirement.

In New Jersey, one year after the mandatory bicycle helmet law was passed, fatalities for bicyclists under the age of 14 dropped 80 percent and helmet use rose from 3 percent to 68.6 percent.
Riding in non-daylight conditions (dawn, dusk or night) is 3.6 times more risky for children ages 14 and under than riding during the daytime.
Two-thirds of bicycle fatalities (for all ages) occur from May to September.
Bicycling is an enjoyable and healthy outdoor activity. Please follow the basic rules of road safety, stay alert and focused and always wear a protective helmet.