NORTH BRUNSWICK – All of the students in Francesca Del Borrello’s third grade class at the Livingston Park Elementary School raised their hands when asked if they have a bicycle.
They all kept their hands up when asked if they ride their bikes.
However, the hands quickly went down when asked if they always wear their helmets when riding.
“The most important part of your body is your brain. You have to protect it. Wear a helmet,” North Brunswick Police Officer Ernie Hanrahan said.
“When you have wheels under your feet, you should have a helmet on your head,” North Brunswick Police Detective Michael Braun said. “You can still get injured with a helmet on, but the chances are less and injuries are less severe.”
As part of the North Brunswick Police Adopt-a-Cop program, Braun and Hanrahan visit each third grade classroom at the district’s four elementary schools each month with presentations on safety issues relevant to children.
On April 19, they discussed how helmets need to be properly fitted: level on the head with the straps buckled and no looser than two fingers’ depth under the chin.
Braun said anyone age 17 and younger is required by law to wear a helmet while bicycling.
“As officers, we don’t like to write tickets. We want you to be safe and not get a head injury,” he said. “We have laws so everybody stays safe, and that’s what we’re trying to teach you today.”
The two discussed the different parts of a bike, such as keeping the seat at hip level, making sure the treads are not worn out, keeping the air pressure up, checking that the spokes are in place, having the handlebars in line with the tires to avoid crooked steering, lubricating the bike chain and placing reflectors on the bike.
Braun advised children to always look left, right, then left again when riding out of a driveway or parking lot.
“Cars that are coming are not going to be able to see you,” he said.
He said to be careful about hanging bags on the handlebars because when he was in fifth grade, his fishing pole got caught in the spokes, causing him to fall.
“Always tie your shoes because your shoelaces can get caught in the chain,” Hanrahan said.
The two officers then noted that bicycle riders must travel in the direction of traffic.
“You still have to obey the same laws a car would have to. Stop for a stop signal, obey a yield sign, you have to stop at a traffic signal. At a crosswalk, get of the bike, look left right left again, and walk your bike across the crosswalk,” Hanrahan said.
Since there are no turn signals on a bicycle, riders should position their left arm to denote directions. The arm in an upside down L means stop, a right side up L is for a right turn, and straight out parallel to the ground is for a left turn, according to a demonstration by Hanrahan.
Speaking from a law enforcement standpoint, Braun told the students to always lock their bikes. A parent should keep a copy of the serial number along with a description of the make, model and color, in a safe place should the bike go missing.
“We’ll try to find it for you but it’s hard to find,” he said.
The North Brunswick Adopt-a-Cop program was re-established in December of 2016. The officers discuss safety issues related to pedestrians, strangers, winter weather, Halloween and bullying with the third graders. They also participate in Read Across America, and bring over police vehicles for the students to see.
“This seems like the right age where they can understand that police can teach good lessons in school, and they understand not to be afraid of the police, and then we have a great rapport going into the future,” Hanrahan said.
“It’s a great way to build trust between kids and the police,” said Braun, who is part of the North Brunswick Community Policing Unit. “This is the most rewarding part of my career. You come in and get a high-five and see the smiles on their faces.”
Sometimes the officers will stop into the fourth grade classrooms to check on last year’s students.
“It’s a great feeling to know you’re making a good impact on these kids. They respect the police and they look up to you,” Hanrahan said.
Contact Jennifer Amato at [email protected].