By Stephen Appezzato
FAIR HAVEN – At least in Fair Haven, getting stopped by the cops isn’t always bad news.
This year, in partnership with Lupo Pizzeria, the Fair Haven Policemen’s Benevolent Association (PBA) summer safety campaign is rewarding children who wear bicycle helmets with vouchers for a free slice of pizza when they see them around town. So far, it’s a hit.
According to Fair Haven police corporal and vice president of the PBA Christian Hostrup, the helmet-abiding kids are “very ecstatic, and you seem to see the smiles on the parents as we’re handing them out,” he said, “It’s definitely a great program, and we’re seeing great feedback.”
Hostrup said the program, which ran through Aug. 3, was inspired by “helmet complacency,” particularly during the summertime when helmet safety isn’t reinforced to children during the school day.
“Between the two principals in school (Sickles Elementary and Knollwood Middle), everybody does really well with wearing their bicycle helmets. But in the summertime, we were noticing that some kids were getting lax with that,” he said.
Fair Haven Police Chief Joe McGovern asked his officers to come up with creative ideas to address the issue. Borough police eventually took note of a program in Rumson that has rewarded children wearing helmets as they bike with vouchers for a free ice cream cone at Crazees.
According to Rumson Police Lieutenant Christopher Isherwood, the ongoing program has been a success.
“It is a great opportunity for our officers to initiate positive dialogue with residents and kids while reinforcing the helmet law. It does seem to have an impact since officers can prove a point to a younger child who is not wearing a helmet with some positive reinforcement,” Isherwood responded in an email.
“I personally have been flagged down and waved at by groups of kids wearing their helmets trying to solicit more cards, which is kind of comical, but demonstrates their comfort level with the local police which is a great perk of the program,” he added.
After identifying Rumson’s successful campaign, the Fair Haven PBA approached local businesses to seek their support. “Lupo was interested in partnering up with us, so that’s where the program started,” Hostrup said.
According to Matt, Lupo Pizzeria’s Fair Haven manager, kids have been coming into the restaurant every day wielding their vouches.
“It’s all good stuff,” he said. “On an average summer day, there’s like 20 bikes out here at any given time. It’s pretty good that a lot of them are wearing their helmets.”
Bicycle safety has always been one of the department’s paramount interests, Hostrup said. But, with the increasing popularity of e-bikes – which allow riders to reach speeds north of 20 mph with ease – officers noticed an uptick in helmet-less riders.
Recently, the borough council has also taken note of this, expressing an urgent interest in putting an e-bike-specific ordinance on the books. “As more kids get to take advantage of it (the program) throughout the summer, we’re going to hear more feedback, but (there’s) definitely smiles and the kids are excited, especially when they’re the one or two kids out of the group that have their helmets on, and they’re getting rewarded,” Hostrup said.
In New Jersey, anyone ages 17 and under is required to wear a bicycle helmet when riding bikes, skateboards, scooters and rollerblades.
Children caught riding without properly secured helmets must walk their bikes home. Additionally, under state law, parents of minors caught without helmets can face a $26 fine for the first offense and a maximum of $100 fine for subsequent offenses, if a lack of parental supervision contributed to the offense.
Hostrup and his fellow officers hope their new helmet program will positively reinforce helmet rules, and inspire peers of pizza voucher-wielding riders to follow suit.
“That’s really important to us, that we’re instilling (the idea) that the kids are wearing their helmets.”
The article originally appeared in the August 8 – 14, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
