As the end of August draws near, students of all ages, from first grade to graduate school are getting ready to head back to classes. Some have already started. Many will be riding their bikes to classes, and many will also be distracted by the new routine, the getting up and getting out early again after a long, lazy summer where it was easy to sleep in. So Ira Riklis would like to remind both them and their parents that it’s always a good idea—often a life-saving idea—to wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet.
Like many of us, Ira Riklis never put that much thought into helmets in his younger years. Those of us who are old enough can trace the beginnings of our bicycling back to days when helmets were virtually unheard of. But being approached in the early 1990’s by a child safety group seeking his support in providing free, fitted helmets to children in the local community was an eye opener. After hearing the distressing statistics of how many serious head injuries happen to younger riders (as well as older ones), he quickly agreed to provide 5,000 free helmets. And since that day he’s become both a helmet-wearer and a strong helmet advocate.