Start of the Challenge

Most kids cycle with the “wrong” helmet

The 1-2-3 Challenge safety initiative enters its 16th year. And the experts are sounding the alarm. Many kindergarten children are out and about with helmets that don't fit.

For many years, the 1-2-3 Challenge organized by ARBÖ, the province of Carinthia, AUVA and "Kärntner Krone" has made it its mission to get children fit for cycling. This year, more than 1000 kindergarten children will once again "pedal" as part of the challenge and try to master a skills course. As usual, the English kindergarten Sunrise in Klagenfurt's Lakeside Park kicked things off on Tuesday. "This campaign, now in its 16th year, is crucial for the cycling boom," said Governor Peter Kaiser, who emphasized how important it is for children to learn how to ride a bike safely at an early age.

In addition to mastering the "bike", the right protective equipment is also important. "It has been shown in the past that many children do not wear a suitable safety helmet. This is of course counterproductive," reports Peter Pegrin, Managing Director of ARBÖ Carinthia. The shells are often too big or too small for the shape of the head or the fasteners are not adjusted correctly. Pegrin: "The helmet has to sit firmly on the head to really protect in the event of an accident."

Helmets are checked
As part of this year's challenge, the ARBÖ experts will therefore be paying more attention to the correct fit of helmets. This year's challenge will stop off at a total of 25 kindergartens and will even go all the way up to Heiligenblut. Around 1000 girls and boys will take part with their bikes.