There is no Excuse for a Child to Ride a Bicycle Without a Helmet

I want you to know as a parent, and as a Miami traumatic brain injury lawyer, nearly 300,000 children ages 14 and under are treated in hospital ERs for bicycle related injuries every year. Half of these kids are diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries.

75 percent of fatal head injuries among child bicyclists could be prevented with a bicycle helmet. So why don’t parents insist that their children wear them? Why don’t local, state or federal lawmakers make it a crime to allow children to ride bicycles without a helmet? Florida Statute Section 316.0265 has a mandatory helmet law for children sixteen years and younger. But why just stop at 16? That is an absurd and crazy law and literally suggest that 16-, 17-, and 18-year olds; do not need helmets. Hell, everyone needs a bicycle helmet, even professional racers.

Now, thanks to the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida is offering free helmets. The program is funded by a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation.