N_C

joejack951

I've read a very similar thread before so I'll give you my summary of the posts.

1. How many kids have actually been injured riding their bikes to school? With or without a helmet?
2. How many kids are injured being driven to school?
3. Do you think it's better to let the kids ride without helmets than to not ride at all and risk adding to the ever increasing number of overweight children due to lack of exercise?
4. Have the kids who ride to school been properly trained in safe riding?

My opinion: I'm happy to hear kids are riding to school. There's a lot worse things they could be doing.

randya

Mandatory helmet use is a deterent. I rode until I was over 30 years old without a helmet, and never had a problem.

joeprim

Why don't you mind your business. Ok if they can't afford a helmet I'd buy it for them but forget damn rules!

Joe

cooker

The school board wouldn't be able to enforce that rule...they only have jurisdiction over school property.

John E

For more than a decade, California has mandated helmets for bicyclists under age 18. For those of us who believe strongly in helmets, the law has provided welcome reinforcement of our parental guidance. As a civil libertarian, I am equally pleased that California does not requires adult bicyclists to wear helmets.
___
"It's one thing for Dad not to wear a helmet because he's an idiot. It's quite another for Junior to be an idiot because he didn't wear a helmet."

unkchunk

I'm not going to fight it any more. Yes, you are right. Children (up to age 18) not wearing bicycle helmets is such a grievous saftey violation that any child riding with out a helmut is grounds for immediate cessation of parental rights. The child and any syblings should be placed in the foster care system, the parents imprisioned for not less than one year per violation. All assets and/or property should be siezed as a fine and payment of all subsequent legal costs, as well as garnishment of all wages for the next five years. Furthermore, upon release the parents shall have to register as "dangerous parents" with the local police for the next ten years. Also under go periodic random drug tests for an equal amount of time. There, problem solved. I feel better about myself already.

Keith99

OK I will resist temptation and do this straight, rather than as above ^^

Many schools are cr@p these days. More time seems to be spent baby sitting than actually teaching anything. Let alone anything useful. It seems to me trying to enforce one more rule that has nothing to do with education is the last thing schools need.

joejack951

Just so it's straight, those aren't necessarily my questions but questions I've seen posed before, and I think they are all valid. I'll try to answer your questions.

1 and 2. The point here is to focus on a problem. Kids riding to school is not a problem. If kids were falling off their bikes all over the place, then maybe you'd have a case for insisting on helmets. If kids were getting killed by aggressive drivers, then the drivers should be targetted. If kids are being injured in car accidents, shouldn't we be trying to get them out of cars and into a safer mode of transportation instead of the reverse?
3. As a kid, there's no way I'd have walked 3 miles to school. That distance would be nothing on a bike though. (I say this not knowing at all how far kids travel to get to this school.)
4. Good. I hope a large part of it deals with how to handle traffic and safe riding habits rather than focusing on wearing helmets and staying out of the way of traffic.

unkchunk

Okay, you do what you want N_C. But without strict proscribed punishments for the parents the mandatory helmet law becomes merely a symbolic gesture and too many children will fall between the cracks without a properly fitted and secured ANSI Snell helmet. Remember, a properly fitted and secured ANSI Snell helmet is a properly fitted and secured ANSI Snell helmet. Not wearing a helmet, violation. Chin strap not connected, violation. Helmet too loose, violation. Using a helmet that's been in previous accident, violation. Anything less would just be a hat that would not protect our children. Also best of luck with your local road maintanance department in cleaning up all those child carcasses on the road. It's not long till the summer semester and soon will be able to take care of that back log.

webist

We name 'em at birth, vaccinate 'em, give 'em their APGAR test, test thier hearing, blood type 'em and fairly often get 'em snipped or pierced, etc. Then is the ideal time for the maternity nurse to say, "We'll be taking the baby for its helmet gluing now."

Keith99

And of course all teachers will need to be trained to recognize possible violations.

Chalk up 2-3 more student free days each year. Which means 2-3 fewer days of instruction.

Oh and I've learned from elsewhere. With no such safety policy if a kid gets in a random accident without a helmet or an improper helmet the school has no problem. With a policy if the kid is in violation in any way the school can be found at fault.

LCI_Brian

It is my understanding that the school district is responsible for the kids from the moment they leave the front door to the moment they return home from school.

Given that, it would seem that a school would like a mandatory helmet law. Parents could be responsible for making sure the child doesn't leave the house without wearing a helmet, and the teacher could make sure that the child is wearing a helmet before leaving the school grounds.

Only problem I see is that if you open the door with the helmet issue, maybe that could lead to a call for banning bike riding to school?

nova

I tend to agree. The kids will simply put helmet on ride out of site take it off aproach school put it on and bypass the rule. It could infact put them in more danger. As they owould be more likly to not watch the road in front and instead watch for some school offical thats going to bust them. Worse yet they do all the above see some one who can bust them who dosnt see them the spin around right in to the path of a car.

Better idea not a mandatory rule but maybe ticket prices for sporting events are reduced for those who ride to school on their bike and use a helmet. Maybe reduced lunch prices or tokens to use in exchange for money for the pop machine the school most probably has.

In other words instead of the punishment meathod of encouraging helmet use use the reward system.

The pop machine idea would realy work for the younger children as to them it would be free pop heheh

Keith99

So you have no kids yourself. You just want to make rules for other peoples kids and for other people to have to enforce. And of course like to make ad hominem attacks on anyone who takes a position other than yours.

Nuf said.

I-Like-To-Bike

Keith, you have this busy body's number. He doesn't care what the facts are about the effectiveness of mandatory helmet laws or what anyone else's opinion is, he's going to make life miseable for somebody. It is the mission in life for a self appointed safety nanny to enforce rules; in this case N_C's fabricated rules.

To clarify there is no dang helmet law in Iowa for anyone, any age. Bicycle or motorcycle.

N_C: My advice is to mind your own danging beeswax! But obviously that is out of the question as you have made quite clear, you already know what is right for everyone else and will make 'em comply, like it or not.

Attached are thumbnails of the bike parking at the elementary school near me. We sure do not need a safety donkey harrassing the school officials, teachers, parents, and students with his half butt crackpot "good idea."

I-Like-To-Bike

Yea I bet. I don't doubtfor a minute that you will enforce your rules and demands for respect; especially the firm hand ass whipping part.

CB HI

N_C, why do you even ask for opinions when all you are really looking for is a pat you on the back. If you don’t want opinions then don’t post this stuff. You should have learned from previous post you have made. Then and know, it is clear that you had already made up your mind on what you were going to do before you ever posted.

John E

Responsible parents set a proper example by wearing helmets when cycling, and they encourage/require their offspring to do the same, irrespective of local laws or school policies. I had a problem with a local elementary school forbidding the younger kids from biking to school, regardless of whether they had proper safety training.

I-Like-To-Bike

What was your problem? Did the administrator of the local school have an opinion about what responsible administrators must do to "set a proper example" and then did just that. Maybe your opinion of the definition of "proper" doesn't match his. I know neither of your opinions of what is "proper" doesn't match mine.

chephy

The more I hear about all the helmet-related issues, the more amazed I am at how some really smart and sensible people suddenly lose the ability to think clearly when the issue of helmet use comes up. They'd suddenly be foaming at the mouth, shouting: "HELMETS SAVE LIVES! EVERYONE MUST WEAR A HELMET! O THE HOLY HELMET, THOU ART MADE IN HEAVEN!" Yet there isn't a single valid piece of evidence that helmets are at all effective in preventing brain injury. But that doesn't matter since SAFETY is concerned. Suggesting that a piece of SAFETY equipment might be essentially useless is a blasphemy.

I wonder how those people would feel if a mandatory rabbit foot law for cyclists were introduced. Those refusing to comply and denying the effectiveness of the measure will be fined, stripped of bicycles and generally ridiculed by the cycling community...

AndrewP

Cycling to school presents no more risk of head injury than many things children do as part of a normal days activities, such as playing on a climber. Required participation in cycling safety class, with fun activites like bike rodeo, how to bunny hop, would be more useful. Rewards for helmet use would also be effective but may be too expensive.

markw

Ha, no motorcycle helmet law, but a bicycle helmet law? When did they put that in place? I've got 3 kids and they all wear helmets. Not because some stupid law said so. In California, there's a 14 and under wear helmets, but it's rarely enforced. My kids loose the bike for a couple of days if they don't have a helmet on. I'm firmly against helmet laws, although I wear a helmet myself and have broken a couple motorcycle helmets, one offroad, and one on road. I also believe that it's not the governments place to tell you how to dress when your on your bicycle or motorcycle. Making laws to save stupid people from themselves is a waste of time, and just aggravates everyone else. Another thing that irritates me is people who don't have kids trying to tell other people how to raise their kids. So, no to helmet laws. Even though the recent motorcycle crashes in and around Des Moines the last couple of days may get one on the books, I still don't think it's needed.

Carusoswi

"I wonder if those here opposed to this idea were raised with a pretty firm or strict hand by their parents. And because they hated what they considered to be bull**** rules they were raised with they refuse to raise thier children the same way. So thier children & others like them are allowed to do what they want. Which results in a lot of problems. One of which is the kids acting like hell raising hoodlums. I have seen it way to often. If I ever tried half the crap I see parents let their kids get away with today my ass would have been whooped for it. And I don't mean in the form of child abuse either. If I ever have kids They will be raised with a firm hand & show respect for others, unlike more then half of todays brats."

First of all, let me say that I am opposed to your idea, and I was raised with a very strict "hand." My parents were so concerned for my safety (and so determined to keep an eye on my whereabouts) that they forbade me to ride on the road unless they rode with me, period. No riding to school or to friends houses, period.

I didn't like their policy then, but didn't consider it BS, either. I respected and loved them - still do, firm hand notwithstanding.

I spent a lot of time riding with my own kids on and off the roads. I didn't allow them to ride to school or anywhere else until they were in junior high. By that time, I pretty much allowed them to ride anywhere as long as I knew where they were going and when they would be coming back - and I verified this with phone calls to parents at their stated destination.

Your statement above seems contradictory to me. On one hand, you suggest that those who oppose your idea may be reacting in backlash to the "firm hand" with which they are raised, but, on the other hand, you vow to create yet another generation of back lashing parents by raising your own kids (if you ever have any) in a similarly firm way.

Your statement doesn't really make sense to me. Your idea for mandatory helmet use by kids doesn't make sense to me, either.

And to whomever suggested that schools are responsible for students from the time they walk out of their front doors until the time they return - that simply is not the case if they are not using school provided transportation to and from school.

As for mandatory helmet use - I think it a bad idea for just about anyone. I can live with mandatory helmet laws for kids, since I always made my kids wear helmets. But, philosophically, I have a problem with government mandated personal safety laws, period.

In the grand scheme of things, there are plenty of more pressing problems involving our kids that should take priority over whether or not they wear helmets when riding their bikes to and from school.

“And I don't mean in the form of child abuse either” (don’t EVEN get me started on that issue!)

Caruso

chipcom 

The whole idea sounds like a bunch of totalitarian bull twinkle to me, more busy-bodies wanting to inflict their will on the rest of the world. NC, with all due respect, take care of your own family and quit sticking your nose into the business of everyone else's.