Bicycle helmet safety

With the warmer weather, more children will be out on their bikes. One young Tulsa bicycle rider had a close call when he was knocked off his bike by an oncoming car. <br/><br/>News on 6 anchor Craig

Thursday, March 2nd 2006, 1:23 pm

By: News On 6

With the warmer weather, more children will be out on their bikes. One young Tulsa bicycle rider had a close call when he was knocked off his bike by an oncoming car.

News on 6 anchor Craig Day explains what happened and has a reminder for kids, parents and drivers.

When Clayton Gibney rides his bike, he always wears a helmet. The helmet came in handy. As the 6 year old and his mom rode through a crosswalk near 51st and Riverside, Clayton's bike was clipped by a car. "This lady like hits me." CraigDay: â€œDid it knock you off of your bicycle?â€ Clayton Gibney: â€œyes."

Amanda Gibney: "I'm lucky she was just doing about ten or so, maybe 15 miles per hour. I was lucky, because it could have been a really, really, really bad situation." Clayton wasn't seriously injured. He only has a few scrapes on his arm, but his mom, Amanda, says the accident reinforces the need for kids to wear helmets. "That's the way it should be with all parents and all kids. Wear the helmet. And in skateboarding or rollerblading, wear the kneepads and wear the elbow pads."

Not only is that accident a reminder to parents about the importance of bike helmets for children, it's also an important reminder for drivers to look out for children on bicycles, especially in neighborhoods where there aren't sidewalks.

The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute says an estimated 85 percent of bicyclist head injuries nationwide each year could be prevented by wearing helmets."She clipped him on the right side of the bike."

Amanda Gibney says Clayton was lucky. She wants parents and drivers to be aware. "Watch out for little kids. They're everywhere and especially since the weather is getting so nice. They're going to be everywhere. So watch out for the little guys."

The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute can answer a lot of questions you might have, like what kind of helmet to get, the cost and when to replace an old helmet.