This week’s column is all about something I see too often. This is my eighth year taking my daughter to and from elementary school and, literally, things haven’t gotten much better with regards to children wearing helmets.
Most do, don’t get me wrong. But the ones who just strap it to their handlebars, or their backpack? That’s for another time.
I want to get people talking about this by asking some questions. A lot of questions. In fact, probably the most questions you’ve ever been asked in less than 400 words.
Who is responsible if a 12 year old boy rides his bike to school with no helmet? How about if that boy rides to school and home every day of the week with no helmet?
What if that boy decides to show off to some friends, and while racing around the school loses control, falls and cracks his skull? Is the school board liable since the accident took place on school grounds?
Since riding a bike in Richmond without a helmet is illegal, should schools be policing their property for children without helmets? Should teachers notify parents of children who repeatedly show up on a bike not wearing a helmet?
What if a teacher has recognized this, and said nothing to anyone and the child falls and cracks their skull? Is the teacher then responsible for keeping quiet?
What about parents who are outside the school every day to pick up their child, seeing kids with no helmets ride away, should they be required to say something? Should those parents be encouraged to report the child to the teachers? To the authorities?
And where are the parents who let their children ride to and from school every day with no helmet? How can children ride throughout the year with no helmet at all and the parents never know? Do some parents know and just not care? Should the police come down on them if their child is injured during this repeated, illegal activity?
Does anyone even care enough to say anything if it’s not their child? If they do care, what do they say, and who do they say it to?
Who is ultimately going to take the blame when a child is hospitalized on school property for not wearing a helmet?
Seriously, I’d like to know.
Geordie McGillivray is an avid Richmond cyclist. His column appears regularly on the Richmond News' website.
