Bike safety fair returns for fourth year in Issaquah
June 9, 2009
By Chantelle Lusebrink
On your mark. Get tuned. Stay safe.
Elementary school students and their families are invited to the fourth annual Bike Safety Fair on June 13 at Issaquah Valley Elementary School.
“Our goal is to prevent accidents,” said Miho Reed, a member of the Optimist Club of Issaquah and the Eastside and chair for the event. “Every single time we hold the event, we have people who say they know of a kid who had an accident.”
Students in kindergarten through fifth grades in the Issaquah, Bellevue and Lake Washington school districts can bring their bikes for free tuneups, get properly fitted for helmets, learn rules of the road and ride through a bicycle obstacle course.
Issaquah and Bellevue police officers will help fit children with helmets and teach them the rules of the road.
Between 500 children and 900 children have participated in each of the previous Bike Safety Fairs, Reed said.
This year, the event is being held two days, one in Issaquah and one in Bellevue. It is also the first time the event has been open to students from all three school districts.
This event “teaches the importance of bike safety and instills the importance of wearing a helmet,” Reed added.
“Wearing a helmet reduces the risk of head and brain injuries between 85 and 88 percent, so it makes a dramatic difference,” said Karen Johnson, public relations specialist for Overlake Medical Center, who added that sponsoring the event is one way to get that message out to the community.
Overlake Medical Center’s Urgent Care facility sees many children involved in minor bicycling accidents each year. However, they are usually minor scrapes and bruises, she said, since children with severe injuries are taken to Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Bicycle injuries are the second leading cause of children’s hospital stays between ages 5 and 14 in the state, according to the state Department of Health. Hospitalization rates for bicycle injuries are highest among children ages 10-17.
For attending the event, many students will receive new helmets for free. However, there is a limited supply. Children can get their face painted and receive goody bags and balloons, and their parents can create child identification bracelets or update old ones.
The things being offered “are all things that are very empowering to kids and instills confidence, so they know what to do,” Reed said.
Other sponsors of the event are the cities of Issaquah and Bellevue, The Issaquah Press, Sammamish Review and Gregg’s Cycle.
While the event is free, Optimist members encourage families to bring a nonperishable food or drink item to donate to the Issaquah and Bellevue food banks, Reed said.
“We also want to raise awareness for summer hunger,” Reed said. “During this time, a lot of kids lose access to free or subsidized school lunches.”
If you go
Issaquah Valley
Elementary School
10 a.m. – 2 p.m. June 13
555 N.W. Holly St.
Lake Hills Elementary School
2-6 p.m. June 14
14310 S.E. 12th St., Bellevue
Reach Reporter Chantelle Lusebrink at 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.issaquahpress.com.
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