Are You Wearing a Helmet or Being Stupid?

stupid [ˈstjuːpɪd] adj 

1. lacking in common sense, perception, or normal intelligence

Helmets are on my mind lately. First, my kids have dusted off their bicycles from winter storage and joined the other kids to for a neighborhood bike posse. 

And at the end of the month, I am scheduled to again speak with elementary kids about our Rhode Island bike helmet safety law. For those who don’t know, R.I. requires children under 15 years old to wear helmets while riding bikes, scooters, and skateboards. When I gave this talk last year as a RI Association for Justice Board Member, Hasbro Children’s Hospital Trauma Registry had a statistic – 83 percent of children admitted with injuries from a bicycle-related accident were not wearing helmets.

While on the subject of helmet laws, motorcycle riders should also know R.I. Gen. Laws. § 31-10.1-4, requires all riders under the age of 21, all passengers, and all new riders within their first year to wear a helmet.  Massachusetts requires bike helmets for all bikers. 

Obviously, wearing a helmet can mean following the law and it is also a good idea. You do not need to be a rocket scientist to understand that wearing a hard protective layer over your skull adds extra protection. Simply put, wearing a helmet reduces the risk of injury to your head. 

This all sounds good on paper, but it also applies in real life. 

The final reason helmets are on my mind is because last week, I was called out to a suburban house following a bike accident. 

My client, an avid bicyclist, was simply biking straight down the side of the road when a driver took a left hand turn into her, catapulting her over her handlebars and smashing into the driver’s window. The biker was rushed to the hospital with a variety of injuries. The attached photo is of the biker’s helmet that she believes literally saved her life. 

So, have fun on the road but don’t forget the helmet.

Mike Bottaro is founder of The Bottaro Law Firm, an R.I. personal injury lawyer firm. Mike's practice areas include RI bike accident law.