Editorial
Bike safety

Driving the streets of Westminster and Ashburnham on a daily basis we see many things that we don't think about. One of those things is adults and children using the shoulders of the roads as places to walk, ride bikes and other recreation.

There are few sidewalks that run throughout Ashburnham and Westminster, so there are no easy place for children or adults to walk and there are actually places for them to go.

School let out last Friday for the summer and the weather warmed up just in time. So now there are more young children out and about during the daytime and evening hours.

Many of these children do not wear bike helmets, which should be discourage and prevented.

First because this is against the law. In the state of Massachusetts children under 16 years old are required to wear helmets while riding bikes.

Second is because riding a bike without a helmet is can be very dangerous if the rider is in an accident with a vehicle or even if they simply have a run in with a pot hole or an uneven surface.

According to state statistics, "the 10 - 14 year old and 35 - 44 year old age groups experienced the highest number of incapacitating injuries and nearly four times as many males as female bicyclists suffered incapacitating injuries. Over 50 percent of all bicycle incapacitating injuries occurred between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m."

As drivers we need to remember to watch out at dusk for those who are hidden in the shadows or the glare of the sun.

Both the Ashburnham and Westminster Police Departments received bike safety grants this year and, recently, both of the area departments held bike rodeo's at the local elementary schools

But the responsibility of safety is not on the shoulders of the police officers. In this case it is the responsibility of every driver, every biker and every parent.

Invest the small amount of money in a helmet for every bike rider in your family and keep your eyes open for the people sharing the road with the cars.