1. Middle School Helmet Safety Program
A program designed to increase the helmet use of middle school aged students developed as a partnership with the FDOT Safety Office

2. Safety is Important
Per capita bicycle deaths in Florida are more than twice the national average
Florida leads the nation in bicycle fatalities
Middle School aged students have the highest rate of fatality and injury crashes
60% of bicycle related deaths and 2/3 of bicycle related hospital admissions are due to head injuries

3. Some Facts Helmets are 85% effective in preventing head injuries
At some Florida middle schools we have found that as few as 3% of the students riding to school wear a helmet
We have often seen students riding bikes with the helmet hanging on the handle bars
When helmets are worn, they are frequently unbuckled or the straps are very loose

4. The School Bicycle Safety Program
Students selected to participate as a school Bicycle Safety Patrol are trained by the School Resource Officer (SRO) on how to observe and identify key safety behaviors of student bicyclists as they travel to and from school
Because this component involves collecting and graphing data, the SRO may choose to have a math or science teacher supervise these activities

5. THE PROGRAM Step 1: Measure Helmet Use
Grade 8 students are enlisted to make up the school bicycle helmet safety patrol
Students are taught to score helmet usage and whether the helmets are worn correctly
Students score behaviors at the end of the school day
The SRO assigns students certain days to score usage and meets with them periodically to keep them motivated

6. Students Can Possibly be Provided Special Shirts by Local Sponsors

7. Students are Given Easy to Use Scoring Sheets

9. The SRO Meets Frequently with the Student Patrol Members

10. Students who record data are given a certificate for Community Service hours at the end of the school year

11. How Well Do Students Measure Behavior?
At the pilot schools, they were highly accurate in measuring helmet use and whether the helmet was correctly worn
Accuracy was determined by having two youths measure the behavior together and calculating the percentage of agreement between the two
Reliability was also computed between the students and research assistants

12. THE PROGRAM Step 2: Kick Off Presentation on Bicycle Safety by the SRO who:
Initiates the program at an assembly by making a presentation on bicycle safety
Shows a short movie on how to fit a bicycle helmet
Moderates a discussion on bicycle safety, which includes setting target goals
Identifies students without helmets, provides helmets (when available) and helps fit helmets
Oversees the program

13. Making the Presentation

14. Explaining Feedback Posters

15. Teaching a patrol member how to fit a helmet

16. Bicycle Safety Patrol Helps Also

17. Step 3: Feedback on Progress
Following the presentation by the SRO the school bicycle safety patrol (students that record data) post the average daily student performance for each target behavior on a large chart inside the school entrance
A weekly announcement on Monday morning provides feedback on the level of behaviors attained the previous week, praising improvements, and prompting compliance for the current week (SRO or students make announcements)

18. Results are Posted in Prominent Campus Locations Before After

19. Step 4: Rewards
Shared rewards for group performance tends to facilitate cohesiveness among members of the group
Rewards will include praise from the staff and SRO; an ice cream party or a pizza party at the end of the project with donated prizes and a drawing for a bicycle

20. Celebrating Success

21. We Have A Winner!! (Note: he only posed for the photo but did not ride the bike until he had his helmet properly secured!)

22. Results
The program produced a large increase in helmet use and correct helmet use in all three schools
The program produced the largest increase in the two schools with a history of helmet enforcement
Helmet enforcement alone did not get helmet use in the target group
The program without enforcement (one school) was effective but did not get helmet use in the target group

24. Other Positive Results
Probe data taken by research assistants showed that helmet use also increased in the morning even though data was not collected by students in the AM
Probe data showed that students did not take their helmet off a quarter mile to a half mile from the school
The results persisted after the party was over