Helmets May Become Law For County Children

Children age 14 and younger may soon be required to wear helmets while riding bicycles in Loudoun County.

Supervisors are considering joining at least 19 other counties, cities and towns across Virginia that are using a 2001 state law enabling them to require helmet use among children.

"My sister has a head injury from a car accident, and it has changed her life," said Supervisor Lori L. Waters (R-Broad Run), who is asking the board this week to consider the proposed ordinance. "When the kids are riding bikes and they take falls, whether it's just them on their bikes or them being hit by a car, helmets can make a big difference."

According to Bike Smart, Virginia!, a state Department of Health program, bicycle-related injuries among children outnumber all product-related injuries after those from motor vehicles.

But the use of helmets has helped to reduce the rate of injury. According to the health department program, proper helmet use reduces the risk of head injury by 85 percent.

The ordinance Loudoun will consider would require children to wear helmets whenever riding a bicycle or motorized device, such as an electric scooter, on roadways, sidewalks or public bicycle paths.

Violation of the ordinance would be punishable by a fine of $25 (for parents) -- except for first-time violators or for violators who show that they have bought a helmet before the fine is due.

The board's Public Safety Committee could take up the issue as soon as Nov. 20. One of the topics committee members will explore is what burden the ordinance would place on the county sheriff's department for enforcement.

"It's going to depend a lot on enforcement," Waters said. "Are the cops going to be ticketing 8-year-olds all over the place? Maybe they should."

Loudoun Sheriff Stephen O. Simpson (R) said it's hard to say without further study what resources such an ordinance would require.

"Like anything else, whenever you have additional duties and responsibilities, it takes manpower," he said.

But Simpson said his department, as well as several private companies in Loudoun, already take steps at schools and during summer camp to educate children about helmet safety. Some private partners provide incentives -- such as coupons for 7-Eleven -- to encourage helmet use.

Simpson isn't sure that a law would do much more.

"To me, this gets into things parents are supposed to be teaching their children about," he said, "but I don't know that it's something that we should be policing."

Among the other jurisdictions already requiring children to wear helmets are Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas, Manassas Park and Vienna. Some Northern Virginia jurisdictions have been authorized since the early 1990s to pass helmet laws, but the authorization didn't extend to the rest of Virginia until five years ago. Several did so only after launching public awareness campaigns to teach children about helmet safety, and only after establishing programs to distribute helmets to poor children.

Bike Smart, Virginia! performs safety education, and distributes helmets statewide. For more information, visit the program's Web site, http://www.vahealth.org/civp/bike .