Saved By The Helmet: An Unusual Award

[advrider]

Here’s an award that you don’t necessarily want to win, but the alternative could be even worse. Motorcycle Ohio is running a “Saved By The Helmet” award program, promoting rider safety in that state. An award sounds good, right? But there’s a catch: To get this award, you must first crash your motorcycle.

The program’s website says “The “Saved by the Helmet” Club increases awareness about the life-saving value of motorcycle helmets by recognizing individuals who survive serious crashes while wearing a helmet.” If you crash your bike, and your helmet saves your life, this program will give you a certificate, and a replacement helmet.

See the testimonial below, from a crash survivor:

Who’s eligible, then? Here are Motorcycle Ohio’s guidelines on who qualifies for the program:

• Persons involved in a crash not longer than one year prior.

• Crashes must be verifiable through state records.

Candidates for membership can be proposed by an investigating officer or by someone with knowledge of the crash. We discourage consideration of persons cited for serious offenses like driving under the influence or those who survived when another individual was killed.

If you head to Motorcycle Ohio’s website, you can find a form to suggest a rider who qualifies for the program. It’s worth filling out, if you know someone who qualifies. If they’re accepted, not only do they get the new helmet they need, they’ll also serve as a reminder to other motorcyclists to ride safe. Motorcycle Ohio says there 400,000 motorcycles registered in the state, with 600,000 licensed riders—and around 4,500 crashes with injuries each year, including 100 fatalities. Maybe this program will be a key part of reducing that number?

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