In 1990, OBIA Introduced Project Head Gear, a helmet awareness and brain injury prevention campaign aimed at sensitizing children and their parents to the necessity of wearing protective head gear.

• Cycling's popularity has risen in Canada; it is a healthy and fun way to exercise while helping the environment.

• Increased popularity has increased bicycle-related injuries.

• In 1991, 27 bicyclists were killed and 3,797 injured according to the Ontario Road Safety Annual Report. This number reflects incidents involving bicycles and motor vehicles ONLY; not bicycles alone, bicycle-bicycle or bicycle and pedestrian related injuries.

• The Hospital for Sick Children reports that after a traumatic brain injury the costs of caring for a child in the acute care stage are well over 1,000 dollars per day.

• The Hugh MacMillan Rehabilitation Centre reports the rehabilitative stage following a brain injury averages 100 days at 600 dollars per day.

• In 1997, over 5,000 Canadian children will be seriously injured while riding a bike. Over 80% of these injuries will occur within five blocks of the child's home.

• Bicyclists wearing helmets will reduce their risk of sustaining a brain injury by 88%.

• Over 500 cases of catastrophic sports and recreational injuries were reported from July 1, 1991 to June 30, 1992. Of these 500, 225 were fatal. Bicycling was the third leading case of injury. The compilers report that 79% of the injuries were PREVENTABLE.

Since the launch of Project Head Gear, thousands of Ontario youngsters have come to understand the importance of protecting themselves from serious injury while bicycling and participating in other sports-related activities.

BIAN presented Project Head Gear to 2,500 students in the Nipissing district between the ages of 7 and 12, in both Public and Separate schools. Jeremy Rempel, an Olympic wheelchair athlete who survived a devastating brain injury, along with his assistant, Jennifer Saari, came to North Bay as part of the initiative in 1995. The presentations were extremely well received and feedback from the children was very positive.