Interviewer: Tulsa drivers share the road with many enthusiastic cyclists here. And the folks at Graves McLain want to help keep those bike riders safe, including the little ones.
We welcome Chad McLain here this morning to tell us more about a community initiative for bicycle safety. Thank you so much for joining us this morning.
Chad McLain: Thank you for having me.
Interviewer: And anyone that has driven around Tulsa has noticed, we do have a lot of enthusiastic bikers around town. So it is good to keep their safety in mind.
How did you guys think up, or what started this conversation to even start an initiative?
Chad McLain: Our law firm handles personal injury accidents including serious brain injury and spinal cord injury accidents. And we saw over time a lot of them involved children on bicycles without helmets, and without safety equipment, and we just noticed it as an opportunity to help with more or less with public safety announcements in the community.
Interviewer: So you guys are passing out helmets which we will talk about in just a moment. But first, one of the really scary statistics you told me about has to do with, close to home it hits very close to home.
Chad McLain: It’s actually kind of scary, but it makes sense when you think about it. It is most of the serious injury and fatality accidents for children, 5 to 12 years old happen within a mile of their home.
Of course, there are things that we can do to prevent those things. We can’t do anything about the drivers on the road, but we can teach our children how to look out for dangerous things.
Interviewer: I love that you guys are raising awareness in general. Pay more attention when you’re close to home as well for those children. All right, so the helmets, you guys are giving these away at locations at the Oiler’s games, which they wear helmets, so that’s cool.
Chad McLain: Right, at the Tulsa Oiler’s game, we’re corporate sponsors of the Oilers this year, so were present and have a booth at a few games this year. The Tulsa Oilers have 33 home games which I didn’t know about.
Interviewer: That’s a lot.
Chad McLain: But at every home game we sponsor the crash at the game, and the first five people to the booth have the opportunity to get a youth safety helmet for their child. Another thing to point out is I have a five and a seven-year-old, and they don’t use the helmets just for bicycle riding. They use the most scooters and skateboards and different things like that. It’s the same, generally the same safety helmet.
Interviewer: Good to know. There’s also a social media aspect you were telling me.
Chad McLain: Correct, we have a Facebook page, and we have a Twitter account. And if you like us on Facebook at the Oilers game, the first five people to like us when we’re not present at the game are also eligible for the five helmets.
Interviewer: So you guys, you have a presence at every game, keeping the kiddos safe.
Chad McLain: Correct.
Interviewer: All right, that is great some of the things you are telling me. Also, I didn’t realize, I really kind of did, but when he said it, it reminded me that bicyclists have to follow the same rules that motorists do on the road which is something to keep in mind.
Chad McLain: Under Oklahoma law, a bicycle equals a car.
Interviewer: Okay.
Chad McLain: That’s the simplest way to remember it. So you have to follow all the rules of the road: traffic signals, stopping at stop signs, giving signals when you’re going to turn, staying on the right side of the road, all of the things that you have to do in a car. And so that’s how you teach your children, there are safety rules of the road, and you need to teach your children to follow those rules.
Interviewer: That makes learning how to properly use a bike a really good gateway into learning how to properly man a vehicle as well.
Chad McLean: It certainly dovetails into when they become older.
Interviewer: All right, so many great things to think about. All right, so when is the next Oiler’s, sorry to put you on the spot, when is the next Oiler’s game you guys…
Chad McLain: You are putting me on the spot.
Interviewer: Darn, we’ll find that out.
Chad McLean: I think it’s this weekend actually.
Interviewer: This weekend, okay, so if you are there, the first five people to the booth after the crash of the game?
Chad McLean: Crash of the game is in the third period towards the end and, obviously they recognize the crash of the game. The first five people to the booth, after that, after the crash of the game if our table is not there, the first five people to like us on Facebook, same thing.
Interviewer: All right, can you like and unlike?
Chad McLain: You can, we preferred that you like and continue to like.
Interviewer: Well I mean so that you can register again if you’re already liking.
Chad McLain: No, I think that we would know your name.
Interviewer: Okay, good to know.
Chad McLain: If there are any problems, you can just call the law firm, the phone numbers, 918-359-6600.
Interviewer: Great, great segue and to me showing your full screen here. Thank you so much for telling us about this, and for the initiative you started here in Tulsa. It’s Graves McLain, it’s the Boulders tower, they’re at 1437 South Boulder Avenue, Suite 1010. And you can give them a call at 918-359-6600. GravesMcLain.com for more information, of course, they’re also on Facebook. Like them and stay liking them, and on Twitter as well.
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