This summer, the Ohio Department of Transportation will help distribute roughly 13,000 bicycle helmets to children statewide via the “Put A Lid On It” campaign – a statewide effort to get free bicycle helmets into the hands of kids who need them.
[Above photo by Ohio DOT]
With support from the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Ohio DOT, and American Honda Motor Company, the campaign is providing those helmets to 179 organizations in 61 counties across Ohio through pediatricians’ offices, local health departments, police and fire stations, schools, and many other community partners.
Since the program began in 2011, more than 100,000 helmets have been donated to help protect children while they ride bicycles, Ohio DOT noted.
Along with the helmets, groups receive bike safety training materials and guidance on how to properly fit helmets on children’s heads – making it easier for families to keep kids protected every time they ride a bike.
“Ohio DOT plays a key role in improving bicycle safety, from providing funding and other support to construct safe routes for bicyclists and pedestrians to supporting education and outreach,” said Ohio DOT Director Pamela Boratyn in a statement. “We’re proud to support the ‘Put A Lid On It’ campaign—it helps make helmet-wearing as routine as buckling a seatbelt and builds lifelong habits of safe riding.”
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, there were 1,337 bicycle-related crashes in the state in 2024, with 23 resulting in a fatality and 189 causing serious injuries.
Beyond this bike helmet program, Ohio DOT noted it also works with communities across Ohio to support active transportation through planning, education, and funding – part of a broader effort to help make it safer and easier for people of all ages to walk and bike where they need to go.
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