Bicycle Helmets
The California Helmet Law was approved by the Governor on September, 11 2002. It requires that a person under 18 years of age to wear a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet while operating a bicycle or riding upon a bicycle as a passenger upon the streets or any other public bicycle path, as well as while operating a nonmotorized scooter or skateboard, while wearing in-line or roller skates, or while riding upon a nonmotorized scooter or skateboard as a passenger.
In California, 22,441 people were severely injured and 619 killed in bicycle-related crashes between 1996-2000. The lifetime costs to care for one person with a traumatic brain injury can exceed $4.6 million. It takes only 5-15 minutes to properly fit a helmet. Parents should learn how to do this to keep their child safe. Wearing a bicycle helmet correctly reduces the risk of head injury by 85 percent!
Find more information at the sites listed below:
The full text of the California Helmet Law for Bicycles, Scooters, Skateboards, and Skates. [PDF]
DHS’ Epidemiology and Prevention for Injury Control Branch has a wealth of useful information about helmets and state programs involving bike safety.
