Heading Off Tragedy : CHOC Alerts Parents, Kids About the Need to Wear Bike Helmets

ORANGE — As the advent of the state’s new child safety helmet law approaches, the push is on by police, doctors, parents and school officials to educate the public about the need for children to wear helmets when riding a bicycle.

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From the Bay Area to Southern California, child safety advocates held press conferences Tuesday to publicize the new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, and remind parents that their children’s well-being depends on their awareness.

The message was loud and clear: If your child has a bicycle, buy him or her a helmet.

For those who would question the imposition of yet another safety law, Dr. Gary Goodman, who works in the pediatric critical care ward at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, has this stark reminder:

“Almost any child that hits his head is going to have at least a concussion. The brain is very vulnerable; it’s a delicate organ and is very easily damaged,” he said at a press conference at Children’s Hospital, one of six regional presentations held Tuesday.

“We see children here with minor (head) injuries, without any other obvious injuries (or) abnormalities on their X-rays (and) their symptoms can be traumatic. They can have headaches, they can have vomiting, disorientation, confusion, agitation, sleeplessness, a host of things, and those symptoms can last for weeks, even after the most minor head injuries.”

The new law applies to bicycle riders under age 18. During the first year, violators will get only warnings from police. Starting in 1995, violators or their parents will be fined up to $25 per offense. Although the law applies only to bicycle riders, advocates recommend that skateboarders and roller skaters also wear helmets.

According to Assemblyman Louis Caldera (D-Los Angeles), who sponsored the bill and pushed it through the state Legislature, the law will save tens of millions of dollars in emergency-room care, rehabilitation and special education costs, “not to mention an untold amount of pain and suffering” by children and their parents.

The California Coalition for Children’s Safety and Health said bicycle-related crashes are the No. 1 cause of death and brain injury to children between the ages of 5 and 14. Almost 18,000 children were treated in emergency rooms in 1991 because of bicycle-related head injuries. About half the 138 people who died of bicycle injuries statewide in 1991 were children.

In Orange County, 147 children were hospitalized for bicycle-related injuries in 1991, according to the Pediatric Injury Prevention Research Group of UC Irvine. Nearly 46% of those were between the ages of 5 and 9; 48% were between the ages of 10 and 14. The hospital costs for those injuries was $1.43 million, the research group said. That money, said a CHOC official, would have bought 55,000 bicycle helmets at $25 each.

Most bike stores in Orange County are well-stocked with helmets in anticipation of the onslaught of helmet buyers.

John Pavlisin, 67, owner of Orange Cycle, said his store carries 10 lines of helmets ranging in price from $29.95 to $100.

Mission Cyclery in Mission Viejo carries models from $19.99 to $150.

Beware, however: An expensive helmet does not guarantee safety, said David Bartholomew, one of the salesmen at the Mission Viejo store. He recommended that people buy one that is approved by the American National Standards Institute or the independent Snell Foundation, instead of the one that looks the “coolest.”

To Nathan Cruz, a sixth-grader at Sycamore Elementary School in Orange who attended Tuesday’s press conference with about 30 of his schoolmates, “cool” has nothing to do with safety. He said one of his skateboarding friends recently had an accident. However, he said, the boy was wearing a helmet and, after a few weeks in the hospital, came back home completely healthy.

“Helmets are great,” proclaimed Nathan, who received one of the dozens of helmets given away by the hospital.

Ned Powell, principal at Fred Moiola Elementary School in Fountain Valley, said members of the Fountain Valley School District Board of Trustees updated the district’s bicycle helmet policy last week to conform to the new state law.

The district’s old policy had allowed parents to ask for waivers so their children would not have to wear helmets while cycling to and from school, he said. The updated version does not permit waivers.

“We were very happy to see this state law” enacted, Powell said. “Many parents didn’t have the courage to say to their seventh- or eighth-graders: ‘Look, I love you too much to go visit you in the hospital, so I want you to wear the helmet.’ ”

Times staff writers Thuan Le and Jennifer Brundin contributed to this report.

* MOTHER’S CRUSADE

The mother of a Santa Ana boy severely injured in a bike crash worked tirelessly for helmet law. B7

Choosing the Right Helmet Beginning Jan. 1, a new state law will require anyone under 18 to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. Basic components of a helmet: *Plastic outer shell: Lightweight protection Polystyrene foam: Absorbs impact Nylon webbing: Reinforces shell Foam pads: Creates custom fit *Buyer’s Guide Fit: Choose the smallest helmet that fits, one that tugs at the scalp when rotated from side to side and up and down. Avoid snugness at temples. Fasten chin strap, grab helmet at forehead and pull up sharply; if it easily moves or comes off, it’s too big. Replacement: Every five years to keep up with industry standards. Replace if it sustains a single impact. Material: Must have rigid outer shell; foam-only helmets increase risk of neck injury. Safety: Choose a helmet meeting or exceeding standards established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or the Snell Foundation. Weight: Children need lightweight models that don’t tire the neck muscles. Cost: $20-$100; paying more does not ensure more safety, but more expensive models usually provide better fit and aerodynamics, are lighter and have better ventilation. Sources: Bicycling magazine, Bell Sports Inc.; Researched by CAROLINE LEMKE / Los Angeles Times