By Bruce Karnick

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Another thing done differently in the year plus of change: the Hastings Police Department holds a yearly bike rodeo to work with kids of all ages on bike safety. This year, the Bike Rodeo was moved to Tilden Preschool and Senior Center for two days of working with the preschool kids.

Day one had Officer David Bauer and School Resource Officer Jacob Willers as the facilitators of the day’s events. Day two Officer Willers went solo and recruited teachers to help as needed. The primary focus was teaching basic bike safety. Wearing a helmet, how to approach an intersection, point the direction you plan to go, and ride on the sidewalk or with an adult.

The officers worked with getting the kids helmets to fit properly, two adult fingers of space between the strap and chin, and talked about proper riding attire, gloves, helmet, and brightly colored clothing. For kids that did not have a helmet, the officers were able to provide them with one thanks to a generous donation of helmets from a family a few years ago.

According to Officer Willers, in 2017, John Kendall was a student that was struck by a vehicle while riding his skateboard. He had a traumatic brain injury due to not wearing a helmet, Kendall survived and over came his injuries. The accident led the Kendall family to partner with Regina Hospital and together they donated nearly 200 new bike helmets to HPD. The donations allow officers to work with kids in keeping them safe. A few kids at this year’s bike rodeo benefited from the donations and went home with a new helmet.

This year’s bike rodeo had over 110 participants total over a two-day span. The kids learned great information to help them stay safe on the road, but it is our job as adults to continue to remind them of those things and demonstrate those things. Hopefully you take this reminder to heart. School is going to be out soon, that means more and more kids riding bikes around town. Please remember to drive the speed limit and watch for bikes, remind your teen drivers of this too. Let’s make 2021 a summer of no car vs bike accidents.

Pre-school kids from Ms. Jess and Jaci’s class receive instructions from Officer Jacob Willers on how to stop safely, look both ways and signal where they are going. Photo by Bruce Karnick.

Offiver Jacob Willers helps adjust a students helmet for correct fit. Ideally two adult fingers should fit comfortably between the straps and a childs chin. This ensures the helmet will not fall off and is still comfortable to wear, an important aspect that encourages kids to keep their helmets on. Photo by Bruce Karnick.