(Permission granted by parents to take photos of all students)

Grade 4 students from all school boards in Timmins are participating in Timmins Police Service’s annual Helmet campaign and bike rodeos.

Last year’s campaign saw 88% of children wearing improperly fitting bicycle helmets.

But there’s definitely more incentive – students caught bicycling with their helmets on will be pulled over by Timmins Police and issued a ticket.

The ticket can then be entered into a draw for a chance to win a brand new Bicycle (courtesy of James Toyota). Additionally, children will also receive a free pass to play Neo Laser Tag, thanks to their sponsor support.

While the campaign is mainly focused on informing children about the importance of helmet safety, TPS Constable Rick Lemieux is also encouraging adults to set an example by rocking their helmets, too. Adults who do so could also see a police cruiser pull up behind them to reward them with a ticket they can enter for a chance to win a a car detailing and a free BBQ (courtesy of James Toyota)

What happens if your child leaves the house wearing their helmet but decides to take it off once they are out of your sight?

Partners at the Porcupine Health Unit are teaching students about helmet safety and how to properly fit one on your head

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Additional partners from the Seizure and Brain Injury Centre reiterated how healing a broken arm is much different then suffering a brain injury from a bicycle accident.
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Turning the Mount Joy Arena into an obstacle course for the purpose of teaching kids the rules of the road, obeying traffic lights, proper use of hand signals, etc as well as play the students an informative video on all things regarding bike helmet safety