Starting Tuesday, police will begin reminding children that city law requires a bicyclist younger than 18 to wear a helmet. The law allows officers to give $25 tickets, but Sgt. Rich Weiner said officers aren't keen on fining kids.
"We're not out to ticket children, we're out to promote safety," Weiner said.
Children without helmets can go to 12 fire stations throughout the city, where firefighters will make sure helmets fit as they give away more than 3,000 next week, said James Ragland, legislative aide for City Councilwoman Charleta B. Tavares, who pushed for the law.
Helmets will be available from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Anyone younger than 18 may receive a helmet.
The Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation and Nationwide Children's Hospital paid $9 per helmet to supply them free to the public, Ragland said.
Helmets can prevent 88 percent of brain injuries in a bicycle accident if worn properly, said Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Children's.
"The helmets work, that's irrefutable. The question is, how do we get the kids to wear them? That's the difficult task."
Helmet laws lead to fewer injuries and help parents keep their children safe, Smith said. He cites two polls that have shown that 75 percent of Ohio's parents support such laws.
Helmet sales at local bicycle shops appear mixed.
At Handy Bikes USA on the Northwest Side, sales are up 40 percent during the past three months, said Chris Ward, an assistant manager.
"Yeah, we've been selling a whole lot of helmets," Ward said. The law appears to be driving sales.
But customers at BikeSource in Clintonville don't mention the law, said Manager Andrew Jenkins. The store has sold fewer helmets so far this year than last.
The law passed City Council last July without support from Mayor Michael B. Coleman or Mitchell Brown, the director of Public Safety. Brown said the law would be difficult to enforce, while Coleman said he thinks parents, not police, should make sure kids wear helmets.
Coleman let the proposal become law without his signature.
THE HOT ISSUE • Do you think children should be required by law to wear bicycle helmets? Comment at Dispatch.com.
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