The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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May 5, 2010

Our View: Bicycle safety is just using your head

The Free Press

Use your head. Protect your noggin.

Of the more than half a million bicyclists brought to emergency rooms after accidents, 67,000 suffer head injuries, according to Immanuel St. Joseph’s Hospital.

That’s why the hospital and a number of other community sponsors put on a bicycle safety rally every year with a popular highlight being the availability of low-cost bike helmets. For $8 you get can get an adult or child’s helmet and a free fitting.

Today’s rally is from 1-7 p.m. at River Hills Mall in Mankato. (Rallies also are planned for Waseca, St. James and Springfield next week.)

The culture of bicycling is rich in Minnesota. Bicycling Magazine this year named Minneapolis as America’s “top biking city.” South-central Minnesota also is witnessing the growth of bicycling. The number of trails and paths in Mankato and on its outskirts is growing, and more bicycle commuters are noticeable on local streets and roads.

With that rise in popularity comes biking accidents. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety reports each year an average of eight bicyclists are killed and more than 950 are injured in crashes with vehicles.

To help create a safer and bicyclist-friendly environment, a Mankato area bicycling group is forming to hold biking events, teach people to ride safely and work with cities to create space for bikes.

The Greater Mankato Bike-Walk Advocates is holding classes for kids as well as adults through Community Education and Recreation this summer.  The group’s goal is to help Mankato become a Bicycle Friendly Community, a designation of the League of American Bicyclists.

That would be a great title for Mankato to get, likely attracting biking tourism. Until that happens, however, there is progress to be made by individuals on the roads. Both motorists and bicyclists need to do their part of respecting each other and obeying traffic laws. Motorists who think bikes should be on sidewalks instead of roadways are wrong.

And it’s the job of bicyclists to be smart about safety, which means wearing highly visible clothing and helmets. That’s using your noggin the way it is meant to be used.

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