BURNSVILLE — While on patrol this summer, more than 360 Minnesota law enforcement agencies will be looking for kids wearing helmets. If caught, a child may find themselves making a trip to a local DQ restaurant.
As part of AAA’s “I Got Caught” campaign, as many as 100,000 Minnesota youth will be written a "citation" for a free small DQ cone for wearing a helmet while biking, scootering, skateboarding or in-line skating.
“We want to encourage youth to wear a helmet in an effort to keep them safe and foster a lifelong appreciation for safety,” said Meredith Mitts, Minnesota spokesperson for AAA-The Auto Club Group, in a press release. “Program sponsors enjoy providing positive reinforcement to youth who are making smart decisions, and hope parents will take the next step by modeling the desired habit of wearing helmets themselves.”
According to a 2018 study published in the National Library of Medicine, the use of bicycle helmets was found to reduce head injury by 48%, serious head injury by 60% and traumatic brain injury by 53%. A previous Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study had also found that law enforcement and other safety officials can reinforce the need to wear a helmet through positive interactions such as free or discounted helmet distribution programs and incentives for helmet use.
Supporting sponsors of the annual campaign include the Minnesota Sheriffs Association, the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, MN Toward Zero Deaths, AAA and DQ.
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Due to overwhelming positive response from communities, the number of "citations" written by law enforcement agencies across Minnesota has grown over the last decade, according to Mitts. Since the program’s start, more than 1 million citations for a free DQ cone have been issued to youth across the state.
For more information about the DQ system, visit DairyQueen.com . Connect with the DQ system on Twitter using #HappyTastesGood and follow the system at twitter.com/dairyqueen . Visit the DQ Facebook fan page and become a friend at facebook.com/dairyqueen .
To follow campaign posts, check out #SafeSummerMN and #HappyTastesGood.
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