This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Crime & Safety

Plymouth Police, Businesses Reward Youth for Wearing Helmets

Local residents and businesses are teaming up to encourage bicycle safety by handing out coupons for treats when they "catch" kids in the act of wearing helmets.

While it may seem obvious that children should wear helmets when riding their bicycles, the city of Plymouth is taking the extra step this summer to reward those children who do.

Plymouth public safety education specialist Sara Lynn Cwayna said bicycle accidents rank second-highest in the number of injury-related accidents involving kids during the summer time. 

“Eighty-five percent of these injuries are preventable and we wanted to do something to help,” said Cwayna.

Find out what's happening in Plymouthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

So every Thursday night, from 6 to 8 p.m., the city of Plymouth sells helmets for a discounted price at Fire Station No. 3, located at 3300 Dunkirk in Plymouth. 

“We’ve been doing this for the last 16 years, we have all
 sizes, ” said Cwayna. "We let the kids pick them out and we make sure they fit properly."

Find out what's happening in Plymouthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The helmets sell for around $10-$15 dollars—about four times less than retail, she said.

Plymouth firefighters and police officers are also trying to "catch" kids wearing their helmets and rewarding them with a coupon for a free ice cream or treat from a local business.

Lieutenant Matt Nordby said he enjoys catching kids being safe and 
being able to do something that will keep them wearing a helmet. 

“We carry these gift certificates and coupons in all our trucks," Nordby said. "Any time we see bikers wearing helmets, we hand them out."

Liz Nalezny, general manager of the Plymouth Holiday convenience store, said it’s a great partnership to be able to give back and encourage safety at the same time. 

“It’s a really fun thing to do with the community, plus we have
 so many kids coming in who rode their bike here; we love being a part [of this],” Nalezny said. 

And kids love the reward program too—just ask 14-year-old Monika Weimer. 

“My parents have always made me wear my helmet, now it’s 
just habit," Weimer said. "But this free ice cream treat makes it all worth it. Plus I know it’s the safe thing to do.”

It doesn’t take ice cream to convince Plymouth teacher Laura Schommer to wear her helmet. Schommer was recently biking alone in a remote area in northern Minnesota when "my bike jack-knifed and I went down hitting my head.”

Schommer, 60, said luckily she had thought to put 
on her helmet that morning. 

“The helmet saved my life, no doubt," she said.

Schommer suffered a concussion, scrapes, bruises and two black eyes—but no broken bones. 

“The doctors told me had I not had on the helmet, the bicycle accident could have been a lot more serious,” she 
said. “I am a teacher and I plan to tell every student, and every bike rider I meet how wearing a helmet saved my life."

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Plymouth