State law requires all children under the age of 12 to wear a helmet on their bikes, but in the summer, kids sometimes skip this vital safety step. So police in Manheim Borough, Lancaster County are ready to start issuing tickets.
They’ll give tickets to kids they see wearing helmets on bikes or skateboards. The tickets will allow them to get free ice cream at Rita’s, Twin Kiss or Mam’s, a new ice cream shop on the square.
“We’re looking forward to the kids coming in with their tickets to say, “’Look what I got!’” says Mam’s owner Keleen Sperow. The family business just opened in May.
Studies show helmets reduce the risk of severe brain injury by 88 percent.
“The last thing you need over the summer is to get injured, so if it’s preventable, that’s what we’re trying to do,” says Mayor Scot Funk.