Helmet Safety Laws Need To Change
While walking to work today I saw a cyclist hit a hidden patch of ice and fall onto the street. I quickly ran over to see if he was ok, and luckily he seemed alright. A bit shaken, but alright. He didn’t have a helmet on, but caught himself on his hands before his head hit the cement. Thankfully no cars were coming. He was riding on a pretty busy street. It got me thinking about safety laws.
“I should be wearing a helmet, but I left it at work and I’m not going very far. I’ll slow down,” he assured me before zipping down Van Brunt St.
Of course, he should wear a helmet. Everyone should wear a helmet when riding. However, in New York state you are only required to wear a helmet while riding a bike if you are under 14. Only 22 states, including the Washington D.C., require minors to wear a helmet. So while it was a foolish thing to do, it wasn’t illegal.
Helmet Safety Laws Need To ChangeAccording to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, “a nationwide telephone survey estimated that state helmet use laws increase by 18 percent the probability that a rider will wear a helmet.” New safety laws combined with helmet PSA campaigns can save lives!
Helmets save lives just like seat belts save lives. I see a lot of cyclists on my trip to and from work, but only about half are wearing helmets. Helmets protect cyclists from themselves, but also from dangerous drivers.
According to a recent study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, half of drivers (in every age group), have run a red light, driven faster that the speed limit, or texted behind the wheel in the last 30 days. While a staggering 88% of drivers from 19-24 polled admitted to at least one of these behaviors, everyone needs to do better.
We all need to ride and drive more defensively- and safely! - and take care better care of each other.
