A Plea

Last week I saw something that set my heart pounding: a bicyclist was almost hit by a car near the train tracks on Gilbert Avenue. After an initial wave of relief and gratitude that a tragedy didn't happen, my heart started pounding even faster. This time, with rage.

The bicyclist wasn't wearing a helmet, and the driver was on her cell phone.

The preponderance of helmet-less bicyclists and the number of drivers who are distracted by texting or talking on cell phones is terrifying. And maddening.

I am, admittedly, a worrier. Sometimes I waste good energy fretting about things I cannot control. I often have to remind myself of Jesus's wise teachings about worry: you really can't add a single hour to your span of life by worrying. But you know how you might add a single hour to your span of life? WEARING A BICYCLE HELMET. You might also save lives - your own as well as those of your neighbors - by declaring the driver's seat of a moving vehicle a device-free zone.

There are so many things in life we can't do anything about. This is one we actually can. As Benjamin Franklin famously said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." I pine for the day when bicycle helmets are as much of a no-brainer as seatbelts, and using a cell phone while driving is taken as seriously as driving under the influence.

I am particularly hopeful that our children's precious heads will be properly protected as they take to the streets and sidewalks with their two-wheelers and roller skates. Having lived in California for eight years, where helmet use for minors is mandated by state law, it still startles me to see kids riding without them. Illinois is in the minority of states that do not require helmets for minors... but parents can still put their feet down and lay down the law.

I presume there's some peer pressure at play - if the neighbor kids aren't wearing helmets, why should I? What a great opportunity to teach two lessons - the importance of safety and the importance of resisting negative peer pressure.

I cannot tell you how badly I do not want our village - any village - to experience a tragedy. Especially a tragedy that could easily be avoided.

Put the phone down when you're driving. Put the helmet on when you're riding. Pretty please?