Would you take off on a road trip without buckling your child into a carseat or strapping on a seatbelt yourself? Do you drive your kids to school unbuckled in the car? I’m betting that you would never let your kid flop about the back seat as I did when I was a child. That was before we knew better. You wouldn’t dream of driving without every single passenger being buckled in, right? Whether one mile or 100 miles, you are safely strapped in while your children are secured in car seats because you feel naked unbuckled. Am I right here?
Do you ensure your child wears a helmet every single time he is riding a bike, scooter, skateboard, or any other wheeled toy? Seatbelts save lives. We know this. We accept this. We expect to get into a car and strap in. Yet we freewheel around neighborhoods and roads sans helmet. We make claims that she’s not riding far, the road isn’t busy, he knows what he’s doing, I’m right here watching, blah blah blah. But accidents happen.
Your brain cannot heal itself like a scraped knee that grows new skin.
Everyday I see countless kids and adults riding bicycles without a helmet. I watch careless high schoolers cruise down a busy street, popping wheelies up on the curb and racing cars at the green light. These same kids fly across traffic in the wrong direction and wrestle with their cell phones while carrying a messenger bag and Super Size Coke. A ban on texting and riding might not be a bill in the legislature but it should be. I see little kids teetering without training wheels or on skateboards making their way down the broken, uneven sidewalk. Children in neighborhoods and on bike paths around the city are rejoicing at the feel of the wind in their hair. Freedom riders.
Helmets be damned.
Clearly the gravity and reality of head and brain injury are not top of mind for these kids and their parents. Chalk it up to a focus on fashion instead of safety, laziness, ignorance, denial, inconvenience. I know wearing a helmet can be uncomfortable and hot. But trust me, a brain injury is a whole lot worse. Is it worth the risk? Are you really going to risk your child’s life because he complains the helmet is too hot? This is no small issue, and I’m not exercising hyperbole here. All it takes is one plop and whomp to the head to render your brain useless. Concrete and brains don’t mix. Maybe we need a “this is your brain on concrete” PSA.
The trauma of brain injury can happen in an instant. On the sidewalk in front of your house. On the street. On the groomed country path shielded by a canopy of oaks. Head and brain injury do not discriminate; anyone can suffer a broken brain. Just wear a helmet! Strap one on to be a role model for your children. Make your kids wear a helmet, even if riding the one block down the street to a friend’s house. Ensure the helmet fits properly.
I cannot imagine driving around town while Bird and Deal weren’t strapped into their booster seats or me buckled in safely. Ditto for helmets. They don’t even monkey around on skateboards on the patio without a helmet on. I have volunteered with patients of all ages who have suffered traumatic brain injury. There is no recovery. These people will never get better.
This is not about making a fashion statement or living in a “nanny state.” This is about being responsible and safe. Period. I’m not here to advocate for helmet laws on the books. Obviously the existence of laws does not equate to the adherence to laws. I’m not here to wage a war on health care costs related to cycling accidents or to promote cycling and driver safety. I’m not polishing my soapbox to wax about the need for bike paths or how drivers need to share the road. Hell, I can’t even ride a bike. I’m here as a mother, urging you to just do everything in your power to protect your children. One topple to the concrete can do irreparable damage to your child’s brain.
The risks aren’t worth it.
My pediatrician told me that the worst day of his career was when he had to discuss organ donation with a family whose daughter was brain dead due to what seemed a minor bike accident. The little girl, around nine years old, was not wearing a helmet. It could have been prevented.
Click here if you want to know about helmet laws in your neck of the woods.
Oh, and while I have your attention, I’d like to add that flip flops and bikes, skateboards, or scooters don’t mix. Safety head to toe. Ahem.
Even as a non-bike rider, you nailed it perfectly. thanks for sharing.