Classes for Windsor children help to increase safe cycling awareness

Local children went to Windsor’s Safety Village as they learned more about bike and road safety.

About 7,500 cyclists are seriously injured each year in Canada.

Injuries to cyclists are primarily caused by collisions with motor vehicles, often during rush hour.

Efforts are underway at Windsor’s safety village to change that.

“To bring these classes in and keep costs at a very low rate for the students to pay themselves,” said Melissa Lauzon, the village’s executive director. “We rely on the donations of individuals and corporations and Windsor-Essex.”

A $4,000 cheque presented on Monday from the city of Windsor’s active transportation panel will help pay for student visits and their transportation costs, teaching grade four students about bike and road safety.

“We, we targeted some of the schools who don’t normally participate, due to financial reasons or whatever,” said Jim Sommerdyk, member of the active transportation working group. “[By supplementing the cost we] thought we’d get more kids out here learning how to ride bikes safely,”

In total 500 grade four students, from eight Windsor schools, will make the trip over the next three months.