Risky riding: Recent accidents raise questions about bicyclists' decision not to wear helmets
|
|
||
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
||
|
|
August 17, 2006 4:12 PM
Even after getting 16 stitches in his scalp following a nasty spill last year, Santa Barbara cyclist Coleman Horn still chooses not to wear a helmet.
"I ride my bike to work and home every day. It's about 15 blocks at the most, and all the streets are controlled by lights, so I'm not really hauling," he said Wednesday at State and Figueroa streets.
Like Mr. Horn, Jon Ireland rides without protective headgear.
"My wife and daughter are always telling me to wear a helmet," he said, juggling a cup of hot coffee with one hand while steering with the other. "I know I should; I know that it's a risk not to."
The men are among the estimated 75 percent of cyclists in Santa Barbara who choose not to wear a helmet, according to the Santa Barbara Fire Department. Legally, that's their right -- the law says only bike riders younger than 18 must wear helmets.
The question is, why take the risk?
Over the past two weeks, Santa Barbara has seen three serious accidents involving bicyclists, two resulting in fatalities.
On Tuesday, 63-year-old Gerald Hammons was sent to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital after a head-on collision with a Ford Explorer as he was riding down a steep section of Meigs Road.
Police say Mr. Hammons suffered serious internal head trauma, a broken kneecap and multiple fractures of his right wrist and jaw.
On Saturday, 83-year old Jesse Hillock Jr. died after he was struck by a car at the intersection of Fairview Avenue and Cathedral Oaks Road. He was wearing a helmet.
And on Aug. 2, Sheron Lenore Stinson, 52, died after suffering massive head injuries when she crashed her bicycle on State Street.
Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition President Ralph Fertig said that surprisingly, most bicycle accidents do not involve cars. He said the major cause of accidents is cyclists' lack of judgment. He also said half of all bicycle-related fatalities occur at night.
Although the law doesn't require cyclists to wear helmets, Mr. Fertig said it is a requirement if they are involved in a race or if they are bike club members. The reason? Insurance providers demand it.
|
|
Even if they don't, Mr. Fertig does. "I myself have had two collisions, and when I've looked at my helmet afterward and seen the damage to it, I knew that could have been my head.
"My head is too valuable for me to lose," he said.
According to Mr. Fertig, the biggest reasons why people don't wear helmets are fear of ridicule, and the idea that cyclists believe they are invincible.
The Santa Barbara Fire Department is trying to decrease the number of fatalities. Even though it cannot control whether adults wear helmets, the department is trying to make the headgear more easily accessible to children.
Last summer, fire officials launched a program to help protect youngsters from bicycle-related injuries. For $5, children can receive a helmet sized just for them.
So far this summer, a few dozen people have requested helmets. Gracie Huerta, the Fire Department's public education coordinator, hopes the orange and red flames on the helmets will entice youngsters to wear them.
Ms. Huerta says the Fire Department has had a positive response to the program and that the public seems to appreciate it.
At stores, helmets for children can range from $10 to $25. Helmets for adults range from $30 all the way up to $190.
For information on the helmet program, call the Fire Department at 331-6771.
e-mail: lorsua@newspress.com
This story has been updated since its original posting.