Amscot Financial Will Partner with Local Law Enforcement to Distribute over 12,000 Bike Helmets in 17 Florida Counties

TAMPA, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Amscot Financial, a leading provider of convenient, consumer-oriented
financial services, will donate and distribute more than 12,000 free
bike helmets on Saturday, October 10^th in 17 Florida counties
where the company operates branch locations.

The helmets are available in three sizes: small, medium and large, and
are being targeted towards children in pre-school and elementary school.
They will be distributed from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. by Amscot Financial
managers and by law enforcement personnel in the parking lots of the
locations listed below. The locations include five branches in
Miami-Dade County and four in Broward County, reflecting Amscot’s
continued expansion into South Florida.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Florida
is 2^nd in the nation in bicycle-related deaths. In 2012, the
most recent year statistics are available, 122 bicycle-related deaths
were recorded in Florida.¹ In one medical study, 79% of all
patients for bicycling related injuries were between the ages of 5 and
14.² Moreover, studies have shown that bicycle helmets – when
properly worn – can prevent 88% of serious brain injuries.³

This marks the 13th year that Amscot Financial has donated and
distributed free bike helmets in counties where it does business. Over
the previous 12 years, they have given out approximately 112,000 bike
helmets to children throughout the state of Florida.

“Bike helmets save lives. We know that. We have had customers in the
past who have come in to tell us how a helmet was instrumental in
preventing a serious injury to their children,” said Ian MacKechnie,
founder and CEO of Amscot Financial. “That is a big reason why we commit
to this bike helmet program year after year. We want to ensure that
children who live in our communities have access to a properly fitted
helmet.”

FREE Bike Helmets will be available at these Amscot branches:

Founded in 1989, Amscot Financial employs more than 1,700 associates who
work at the company’s retail branches and at the company’s corporate
headquarters in Tampa. The company currently operates retail locations
in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Polk, Hardee, Hernando,
Highlands, Manatee, Sarasota, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Volusia,
Brevard, Marion, Citrus, Flagler, Brevard, Broward and Miami-Dade
counties.

¹ Traffic Safety Facts, 2012 Data, National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration; http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812018.pdf

² National Center for Biotechnology Information; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18936286
via Florida Cycling Law Blog; http://floridacyclinglaw.com/blog/archives/bicycle-helmet-lawsuits

³ Pediatrics, Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics; http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/108/4/1030.full.pdf+html

Contacts

Amscot Financial
Alex Bustos, 813-637-6277
abustos@amscotfinancial.com