City of Iqaluit says stay safe this summer: wear a helmet

Two kids on bikes play on a street in Iqaluit—without helmets. (PHOTO BY DAVID MURPHY)

For thousands of years, helmets of various types—shiny, pointy, heavy, decorative and plain—have saved human lives.

The first record of helmet-wearing was all the way back in 900 BC, by Assyrian soldiers.

From world wars and football games, to toddlers falling off tricycles, we humans owe a debt to the domed protector of brains.

But take a stroll down one of Iqaluit’s many dusty roads and you’ll see gangs of kids ignoring thousands of years of history, and not wearing helmets.

So the city’s municipal enforcement office is reminding all citizens about the importance of wearing a helmet, now that winter ice has melted and more bikes are on the roads.

And they’re not stopping at just helmets.

“Parents are reminded to make sure that children are wearing their necessary safety equipment — helmets, knee, elbow pads — while they are operating their bikes,” said a June 18 public service announcement from the City of Iqaluit

“And to remind their little ones to follow the proper safe operation of the bike while on a roadway.”

According to the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), around 7,500 Canadian cyclists are seriously injured every year.

Last summer, two young girls on bikes were struck by a car and injured in front of Arctic Ventures Marketplace in Iqaluit.

In 2013, a young boy was struck by a vehicle and killed in the same vicinity in Iqaluit.

Staff at Iqaluit municipal enforcement office also took the opportunity to remind residents that an officer is standing by whenever necessary.

Officers “can be reached through the City of Iqaluit’s Dispatch Centre at 979-5650 for assistance with any traffic, taxi, animal or any other by-law related matter,” the PSA said.