Andover - Bike Safety

In January 2007, Phillips Academy instituted a new policy requiring all students to wear helmets when using bicycles, skateboards, scooters, in-line skates, and similar conveyances. This policy not only mirrors the requirements of the Massachusetts Bicycle Helmet Law, but reflects the reality of the following chilling statistics:

Bicycle injuries account for the largest number of sports-related injuries treated in emergency rooms in the United States.
Head injuries are the most frequent cause of bicycle-related deaths.
About 540,000 bicyclists visit emergency rooms with injuries every year. Of those, about 67,000 have head injuries, and 27,000 have injuries serious enough to be hospitalized.
Bicycle helmets reduce the risk of head injury by 85%.
In states that have youth bicycle helmet laws, there has been a dramatic reduction in bicycle-related injuries and deaths.

We realize this new policy represents a significant shift in our campus culture. But in time, with your support, we expect that wearing a bicycle helmet will seem no more inconvenient than using an automobile seatbelt. For more information on bike helmets and bicycle safety, go to www.helmets.org.


	Purchase Bike Helmets Bicycle helmets can be purchased from any number of local stores and online vendors. Among the online outlets are Bike Nashbar and Performance Bicycle. Locally, students who show a valid PA ID can purchase helmets at a 10% discount from Andover Cycle, 26 Chestnut Street in Andover (978-749-3191).

Phillips Academy Policy:
Bicycles, Skateboards, In-Line Skates, and Scooters

Students are expected to register bicycles with Public Safety, to lock them when not in use, and to obey all rules of the road, including the use of proper lighting and reflectors at night. In the state of Massachusetts, children 16 years and under are required to wear a helmet when riding bikes, scooters, skateboards, and roller skates. In addition to requiring all students to wear helmets when using the aforementioned conveyances, the academy strongly recommends helmet use by all individuals, regardless of age.

Students using skateboards, in-line skates or scooters are not allowed on the Great Quad. In other areas of campus, students are required to stay on defined campus paths and roadways (and off the grass) and are encouraged to wear such protective gear as elbow pads and kneepads. No scooters, skateboards, or in-line skates may be used inside.