NORWAY — Children in Norway beware … if the Norway Police Department catches you wearing your helmet while riding your bike, skateboard, scooter or inline skates you will win a free ice cream!

Norway Laundry on Paris Street in Norway is sponsoring a safety first helmet campaign with the Norway Police Department.

School Resource Officer Mitch Shaw is spearheading this community policing effort in an attempt to help children avoid head injuries while having fun.

“It’s about forming relationships with kids and promoting safety,” Shaw explains.

But there’s an important and serious side to the helmet law that states children younger 16 years of age must wear helmets.

“The most common (and often most serious) injury sustained with a bike, on in-line skates, scooters, or while skateboarding, is a head injury,” according to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. “Head injuries are the leading cause of death and disability in these types of crashes. Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of death or injury and reduce the severity of the injury in the event of a crash. However, even with aggressive bicycle helmet programs and laws, approximately 55 percent of children don’t always wear a helmet while bicycling.

“Wearing a helmet whenever riding a bicycle, in-line skates, or a skateboard should be an automatic habit. Helmets should fit properly on your child’s head and also be fastened correctly. A properly-fastened and fitting helmet does not move around on the head.

“Teaching your children bicycle, in-line skating, and skateboarding safety could save lives.”

And in Norway, it might you get you ice cream!