No longer a choice
Spokane’s new helmet law was about as welcome as a gravel road for teenagers at Hillyard Skate Park. The ordinance, which fines skateboarders, cyclists and skaters $25, has been passed twice, first on June 28 on a 6-1 vote by the City Council, then on Monday, when the council overrode Mayor Jim West’s veto.
On a recent day at the Hillyard Skate Park, about 40 teens soared up and down the concrete walls on skateboards, skates and bikes. Of the 40, only three wore helmets and protective gear.
When asked about the ordinance, which goes into effect Aug. 10, a chorus of “It’s stupid” rang out.
Micah Burland, 14, has been skating at the park since it opened.
“I disagree with the helmet law,” Burland said “I think it should be our choice, or our parents should make the decision whether or not we wear helmets.”
Burland said he doesn’t own a helmet and wouldn’t commit to wearing one if it were free.
“It depends what it looks like,” he said.
Dustin Dice, 12, a skate park regular, was one of the few wearing a helmet that day.
“I usually don’t wear a helmet when I’m just riding around my house, but I do here at the park. It’s too slippery for my bike tires, and I slide a lot,” said Dice.
Dice’s age and his parents’ attitude contribute to his helmet wearing.
Tracy Bebout, Dustin’s mom said, “We have a long driveway, and I don’t make them wear their helmets there or in front of the house. I probably should.
“They do have to wear them on long bike rides or at the skate park. Dustin flew off his bike there, and thank God he was wearing a helmet.”
Cheryle Fisher was the sole adult at the skate park. She sat in the shade under a nearby tree watching her grandson, Andrew Boyd, 12, who was visiting from Virginia. Boyd brought his own skateboard and protective gear with him for his Spokane visit.
“We’ve been here almost every day this week, and I can’t believe the number of kids that don’t wear protective gear,” said Fisher.
Fisher, a retired nurse, said, “Don’t they watch ‘Trauma, Life in the ER?’ Ninety percent of emergency room visits are self-inflicted. People are there because of stupid behavior.”
But other adults sided with the young helmet opponents.
Janice Moerschel, chairwoman of the Spokane County Libertarian Party, wrote in an e-mail to The Spokesman-Review: “Libertarians believe in individual liberty and personal responsibility. While it is tempting to use the force of law to make people wear a helmet while riding a bicycle, Libertarians believe it is better to persuade people to do the right thing.
“In a free society there will always be individuals who will make bad choices. There will be people who will abuse alcohol or drugs, people who won’t wear a seat belt, or people who will hurt themselves playing with firecrackers. But that is the price we pay in a free society.”
According to the Spokane Regional Health District, area hospitals treated more than 4,500 people for bicycle injuries in the past five years, 26 percent of those were injuries to head, face and neck. There were 259 hospitalizations and six bicycle-related deaths.
One business owner opposed the ordinance but backed the concept.
Southside Boards sells skate, snow, wake boards and accessories but not helmets. The store’s co-owner, Frankie Rosales, said that it may add helmets in the future.
“It’s up to the parents to enforce wearing helmets, not the government. Most kids are broke. That’s why they use a skateboard for transportation; it’s cheap,” he said.
“I don’t think a law would go over very well,” said Rosales. “But if you’re getting big air, I’d wear one,” he added.
The latest copy of The Skateboard Magazine was on the counter. In it, fewer than half of the skateboarders in the pictures are wearing helmets, even those photographed upside down over concrete.