Be advised, If your child is seen properly wearing a helmet while riding his bike in Lower Township, he may be given a ticket by police. A ticket good for free ice cream, that is.

The Lower Township Police Department is partnering with Mister Softee in a pilot program, to reward kids for using bike helmets and to encourage safe behavior.

Children, under the age of 17, that are seen wearing a helmet will be given a “ticket” by an officer. This voucher is redeemable for a free ice cream cone at the Mister Softee Ice Cream Parlor in Villas, or from the Mister Softee Ice Cream Truck.

According to the Lower Township Police Facebook page, this program is designed to encourage kids to want to get caught wearing their helmets and uses positive reinforcement to emphasize the importance of wearing helmets.

NJ State Law requires that children under the age of 17 wear a helmet while bicycling, skateboarding, roller-skating, & riding a scooter.

Lower Township Police also want parents and kids to be aware of these important facts concerning bike helmets...

• By wearing a helmet, a brain injury can be prevented every 4 minutes and one death can be prevented each day.
• Approximately 67,000 bicyclists sustain a brain injury each year.
• It is estimated that 75% of all brain injuries among child bicyclists could be prevented with a helmet.
• 90% of all bicyclists killed in crashes did not wear a helmet.
• It is estimated that between 50-75% of bicyclists do not wear helmets.
• If 85% of child cyclists wore helmets in one year, the life time medical cost savings could total between $109 and $142 million.

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