The Missoula Police Department has gratefully accepted a donation of Dairy Queen tokens from a local Missoula resident.
The resident said, “Many years ago when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old, a Missoula police car pulled me over while I was riding my bike. The officer got out of his car and thanked me for wearing a helmet, then gave me a coupon for free ice cream at Dairy Queen. I’ve never forgotten that experience and it helped shape my opinion of police officers from a very young age. Now I’d like to pass it on.”
Officers will be on the lookout for children on bikes who are wearing their helmet and will provide them with a token good for an ice cream cone or a Dilly Bar.
Many thanks go out to our local citizen as well as our local Dairy Queens for helping us encourage kids to ride their bikes safely and wear their helmet.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: “Each year about 2 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths are bicyclists. In a majority of bicyclist deaths, the most serious injuries are to the head, highlighting the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet. Helmet use has been estimated to reduce head injury risk by 85 percent.”
