SAFETY WATCH : Heads Up

Sometimes governments do good simply by requiring people to take better care of themselves. Mandated use of auto seat belts, which has significantly cut accident deaths and injuries, is one example. Mandated use of crash helmets by motorcyclists is another. A measure that has now passed both the state Senate and Assembly that would require all bicyclists under the age of 18 to wear crash helmets is the latest example. After final revisions Gov. Pete Wilson is expected to get the bill. He should sign it. Then serious head injuries and fatalities to minors from biking accidents ought to begin to decline markedly.

In 1991, according to the bill’s proponents, nearly 18,000 children were treated in California emergency rooms for bicycle-related head injuries. Of the 138 fatalities from biking injuries that year, at least half were children. Helmets can be bought for as little as $20. Surely the protection they provide is worth that.

After a grace period of one year, during which only warning citations would be issued by police to helmetless cyclists, failure to wear a helmet could incur a $25 fine. Helmets are already required for children under 4 on bicycles. Bike clubs favor making the rule apply to all bikers. They’re right, but first things first. Children are especially vulnerable to brain injuries from biking accidents. An important child-protection bill will soon be on the governor’s desk. It will save lives, prevent serious and even crippling injuries and cut medical care costs. It will be a good law to have.