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Ohio bill makes wearing bike helmets mandatory
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Youngsters would be required to wear helmets when bicycling or face potential fines, an Ohio senator proposes.
Sen. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, announced the proposed law changes Tuesday at a news conference at the Statehouse, where she and children’s-health advocates touted the health and safety benefits of helmets.
“The No. 1 thing that we can do to eliminate and reduce [the severity of injuries] is using a very simple, inexpensive bicycle helmet,” Jones said. “With 70 percent of our kids actually regularly riding their bicycle, it’s really important that they use this piece of safety equipment.”
The legislation would require anyone younger than 16 to wear a helmet while on a bicycle, with mandates that bike-rental businesses inform younger customers of the requirement and offer helmet rentals.
Bike helmets would have to be “of good fit” and “fastened securely on the person’s head.”
Those who fail to use helmets would face fines of $25 on the first offense and $100 for subsequent violations, and their parents or guardians would be responsible for payment, though fines can be waived if violators obtain helmets and vow to use them.
Fines would be directed into a new fund that would pay for bike helmets for needy residents and otherwise promote bicycle safety.
Comparable bike-helmet legislation has been offered in the past but has failed to gain support. Sen. Mike Skindell, D-Lakewood, has been introducing and advocating bike-helmet requirements for youngsters for years, including a bill introduced earlier this session.
Jones said many Ohio cities, including Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton, already have local bike-helmet ordinances in place, as do more than 20 states.
Sarah Denny, an emergency room doctor at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, said 75 percent of bicycle-related fatalities could have been prevented if riders were wearing helmets, while helmet use reduced the chance of serious brain injury by 88 percent.