LAW : A Fashion Minus Is a Safety Plus

Youngsters don’t usually pay much attention when new laws go into effect, even to one that has a significant impact on their lives.

But many of them are aware of the state law that took effect the first of the year. In fact, the law weighed on their minds--literally.

Youngsters interviewed at three San Gabriel Valley elementary schools were familiar with the new requirement that they wear bicycle helmets until the age of 18. Their responses were divided between those who considered the law a good idea and those who, to put it mildly, did not.

“I hate it!” said Andrew Yamada, 10. The fifth-grader at Baldwin Stocker Elementary School in Arcadia was, nonetheless, wearing a helmet as he parked his bike before school. The helmet clashed with way he likes to look, he said.

Fellow students who oppose the law were equally as vocal and most were concerned about how the helmets look.

“The helmet makes me feel like I’m Einstein, ‘cause I have such a big head,” said Alex Armstrong, 10, a fourth-grader at Mayflower Elementary School in Monrovia.

Even those who agreed that the law is a good one said they felt a little funny wearing a helmet.

“I think it’s good for our safety,” said Domini Possemato, 10, who attends Baldwin Stocker. But wearing a helmet is “kind of embarrassing.”

Michael Lanza, 12, a sixth-grader at Coolidge Elementary School in San Gabriel, agreed about safety. “Everyone is going to look a little weird. But that’s OK.”

Of the three schools where students were interviewed, Coolidge had the most active helmet promotion program. It held a helmet sale last year and even donated some helmets to families that couldn’t afford them.

Safety was the main reason students supported the law. “It’s pretty good because if a car hits you and you splatter against the windshield, it won’t hurt you so much,” said Chris Beebe, 11, a Baldwin Stocker sixth-grader.

Billy Van Wye, 10, a Mayflower fourth-grader and a vocal opponent of the law, said the safety issue was overrated. “I know you can get hurt, but most people don’t, and most people don’t wear helmets, and they’re going to get too many unnecessary tickets,” he said.