Fred Schultz Torts Law Blog on Lawyers.com

            Like many of you, I grew up in a time when we really didn’t worry too much about safety stuff.  I road an ATV without a helmet, went skiing without one, and even played an awful lot of tackle football without a helmet.  When I was a kid, you learned how to ride a bike and off you went; no knee pads, no helmet.  Maybe you had a cool bell or a baseball card or two in the spokes, but nobody thought about helmets. 

            Today, thankfully, things are different.  We have come to understand how serious concussions can be.  It doesn’t make sense not to use helmets, whether you’re a child or an adult.  So now I say: Football helmets, hockey helmets, batting helmets, bike helmets, helmets, helmets, helmets.  Parents can prevent bicycle related fatalities and injuries by giving safety instruction, providing adequate supervision and requiring that youngster to don a properly fitted helmet.  Kids on bikes are at most serious risk from automotive traffic, but they can also fall and strike their heads on pavement or other hard surfaces.  Those impacts can result in concussions and more serious traumatic brain injuries.  You probably know by now how we at this firm feel about traumatic brain injuries, and helmet use is one more way to prevent them.

Helmets work to absorb and disperse the impact of a collision.  However, they work best if they are properly fitted and adjusted, have never been in a collision before, and are actually worn.  It’s so easy to say, “make the kid wears a helmet.” However, every parent knows that sometimes this is easier said than done.  So, now there are helmets with just about any cartoon character you can think of.  And, if cartoon characters are too baby-ish, helmets now come in countless color combinations.  The X-games competitors all wear helmets, which adds some cachet as well. 

Depending on the type and frequency of use you expect it to get, you can spend a lot or a little on a helmet.  However, don’t buy a used helmet, because you don’t know whether it’s been in a collision or whether it would hold up to a subsequent one.  This page lists lots of dos and don’ts for helmets.  The NHTSA lists instructions for safe riding.

If you go to a specialty sports gear store, you might be able to be individually fitted by a salesperson, but otherwise, you’re on your own, so here’s a quick guide.

Make sure that both you and your child have a helmet on at all times while riding this summer. Whether it’s on a bike, skateboard, or scooter, as the weather warms up and the kids start getting out to enjoy the fresh air, please take a few minutes to make sure they’re staying safe while they’re having fun! 

Fred Schultz

GREENE & SCHULTZ

320 W. 8^th Street, Suite 100

Bloomington, IN 47404

(812) 336-4357: phone

fred@greeneschultz.com

Additional research compiled by Lori M. Craig, R.P.