Dear Street Smarts,
Q: Interestingly, we had a hard time getting our 15-year-old to wear a helmet. He has been doing a lot of cycling, especially at night after being with friends.
Unfortunately, a good friend was hit and injured by a car recently. She possibly broke both arms, fractured her jaw and suffered a concussion. She was thrown about 10-feet.
The very next day, my son walked out of the house on his way to bike to school, and low and behold, he was wearing a helmet. He’s been wearing one ever since.
When I asked him if his friend had been wearing a helmet, he replied ‘No, and yet she always wears one.’
Kathy Ferraro, Santa Cruz
A: That’s great that he’s now wearing his helmet. Not only did it pose a danger to him when he wasn’t wearing one, it also could have hit him, or you, in the pocketbook if a law enforcement officer caught sight of him.
Helmet use is required among young people under age 18.
The base fine for this traffic violation is $25. That tops out at around $108 after additional assessments and penalties are added.
