Nassau Legislator Pushing For Bike Safety Laws For Children

After a 13-year-old Levittown boy was hit by a car and killed by while riding his bicycle, Nassau County Legislator John Ferretti is planning to introduce two new laws to increase bicycle safety for children.

On June 30, Andrew Alati was killed while riding his bicycle on Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown.

According to Ferretti, nearly 75 percent of all fatal bicycle crashes involved a head injury, and many of those who died were not wearing helmets. The first law Ferretti is proposing would amend the county's current bicycle law to make wearing a helmet mandatory for anyone under 18. It would apply not only to bicycle riding, but to scooters and motorized scooters and bicycles.

The second legislation that Ferretti is introducing addresses children performing dangerous stunts while riding bicycles. Ferretti said children on Long Island have started to ride recklessly, "terrorizing drivers" while doing wheelies, playing chicken against traffic and more. Ferretti's bill would allow police to issue a $100 fine to the parents of children over the age of 12 who engage in dangerous behavior while riding, and also allow police to impound the children's bicycles.