Hudson Health Plan to Offer Free Bicycle Inspections and Safety Instructions at Bicycle Safety Rodeo

June 12, 2012 - PRLog -- Summer’s almost here, and children are brushing off their two-wheelers and helmets in anticipation of summer fun on their bicycles. But bicycles, like cars, should be inspected yearly to ensure they are in good working order, otherwise riders may risk injury or even death. What’s more, children need to be aware of the rules of the road so they can co-exist with motorized vehicles with which they share the street.  

Fortunately, parents and guardians can help ensure their child’s safety this summer by attending a free Bicycle Safety Rodeo, sponsored by Hudson Health Plan as a community service. The rodeo will take place on Sunday, June 24th, from 11 a.m.to 2 p.m., at Dietz Stadium/Forsyth Nature Center in Kingston, NY.  Earlier that day, the 7th annual Tour de Kingston/Ulster will start at the Forsyth Nature Center, giving the community a full day of outdoor bicycle-oriented activity.

“We want parents to encourage their children to enjoy the fun and exercise of bicycling, but it’s important to remember that a bicycle is not a toy. It’s a vehicle,” explains Mark Santiago, Senior Vice President of Operations at Hudson, which sponsors the rodeo at the start of the summer each year.  “We organize this event so children and parents can have a lot of fun while learning how to share the road with autos and other bicycles.”

At the rodeo, children and their parents will receive free bicycle inspections and personal instruction on the rules of the road, such as the correct hand signals to use when turning and how to obey traffic signs. Instructors also will demonstrate the proper way to strap a bike helmet on a child for maximum protection. Head injuries are the most common cause of bike fatalities, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and helmet can reduce head injury risk by 85%. After the inspection, youngsters can demonstrate what they’ve learned by navigating their bikes on a mini course, where they will be expected to follow traffic signs, use turn signals, and keep an eye out for potential dangers.

Hudson scheduled the Bicycle Safety Rodeo the same day as the Tour de Kingston/Ulster to draw attention to the importance of bicycle safety, and hopes many Tour de Kingston participants will come to the rodeo, too.

For more information about the Hudson Health Plan Bicycle Safety Rodeo, please call Robert Vivolo, Hudson Health Plan’s Senior Director of Communications & Community Relations, at (914) 372-2082.

Hudson Health Plan Bicycle Safety Rodeo
Sunday, June 24, 2012
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Dietz Stadium
Forsyth Nature Center
Kingston, NY

About Hudson Health Plan
Hudson Health Plan is a community-based not-for-profit health care organization that provides state-sponsored Medicaid Managed Care, Child Health Plus, and Family Health Plus insurance coverage to over 115,000 members in New York’s Hudson Valley. Hudson uses every government dollar it receives to fulfill its mission, which is “to promote and provide access to excellent health services for all people.” Hudson improves the health of its members and the communities in which they live through its innovations in care coordination, and by supporting over 5,000 local health providers. In both 2009 and 2010, Hudson achieved the highest quality incentive scores of any Medicaid plan in New York State, and in 2010, it received the highest overall performance rating of any Medicaid plan in the Hudson Valley. It also has earned the highest ratings in overall satisfaction among Medicaid Managed Care members in the Hudson Valley region every year since 2003.

Hudson Health Plan is based in Tarrytown, N.Y. Visit Hudson at www.hudsonhealthplan.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hudsonhealthplan, and on Twitter at @HudsonHealth.