CHICAGO, IL (May 19, 2017) — Swedish Covenant Hospital will promote bike safety by distributing 1,000 free bike helmets to attendees at an outdoor summer social it will host from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 10. The event will be held in the parking lot of the Galter Life Center.
Chicago Bike Ambassadors will provide helmet fittings, and community partners will help promote summer health and safety. The fest also will feature music, a variety of entertainment, and food trucks.
“We are taking this bold step to improve the safety of children and adults who bike throughout our community,” said Anthony Guaccio, president and CEO of Swedish Covenant Hospital. “Our doctors have long recognized the importance of bike safety and wearing helmets to prevent injuries. We want all cyclists to have a safe summer.”
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in a majority of bicyclist deaths, the most serious injuries are to the head. “Helmet use has been estimated to reduce the odds of head injury by 50 percent, and the odds of head, face, or neck injury by 33 percent.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that 45,000 bicyclists were injured in traffic in 2015, the latest year for which statistics were available.
