Photo By Helen Klein | Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall leaders are reminding the community that bicyclists...... read more read more
JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. - Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall leaders are reminding the community that bicyclists must wear helmets when riding on the three portions of the joint base.
Joint base policy signed April 3 requires a helmet be used at all times when riding a bike on the installation, said Adrain Kendrick, JBM-HH Safety and Occupational Health chief.
According to Army Regulation 385-10, bicycle helmets approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission must be worn by all personnel, including family members, who ride bicycles on Army installations.
“Previously purchased bicycle helmets certified by the American Society for Testing and Materials may also be worn but when purchasing a new helmet, riders should look for the Consumer Product Safety Commission certification,” the Army Regulation reads.
Other requirements include reflective gear when riding in low-light conditions and the prohibition of headphones or cell-phone use while biking.
“As the joint base continues to grow in population and interest in cycling continues to increase in the local area, there could be more instances of riders without helmets,” Kendrick said, adding that not wearing a helmet while bicycling is a dangerous mistake to make.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 743 cyclists killed and an estimated 48,000 injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2013. Cyclist deaths accounted for 2 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities and injured cyclists made up 2 percent of the people injured in traffic crashes during the year.
“A helmet is the single most effective way to prevent head injury resulting from a bicycle crash,” according to the NHTSA website.
Kendrick said that while there haven’t been any bike accidents reported on JBM-HH, there have been complaints about cyclists not obeying traffic laws – not yielding to traffic, running stop signs, riding against the traffic flow – which can lead to crashes.
And unlike a motorcycle, bicycles don’t make any noise, which makes it harder for drivers to know if a bike is near and easier for accidents to occur.
“There’s no motor for you to hear, a lot of times there are no lighting effects for you to see,” Kendrick said. “A lot of times, the bicyclist has more ability to weave in and out of traffic.”
Officer Ricardo Nova of JBM-HH Directorate of Emergency Services said service members and civilian employees who fail to wear helmets risk a citation, while military family members risk a sponsor notification.
| Date Taken: | 07.16.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.16.2015 17:49 |
| Story ID: | 170258 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 75 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, JBM-HH leadership stresses bike helmet safety, by Guv Callahan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT