Skateboarders expected to resist push for helmet law
A push to make helmets mandatory for all wheeled sports, including skateboarding and in-line skating, could roll into considerable resistance, some of the activity’s enthusiasts said Wednesday.
Citing concerns over head injuries, the City of Grande Prairie is bringing a resolution later this month to the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) convention in Calgary to require skateboarders, in-line skaters and scooter riders under age 18 to wear helmets.
The resolution noted that since a similar law was enacted for bicycle riders 15 years ago, use of helmets among those aged up to 13 years rose from 75 per cent to 92 per cent in four years, and from 30 per cent to 63 per cent in the 13 to 17 age group.
“The existing helmet legislation remains effective, but additional activities such as skateboarding, in-line skating and riding a scooter have grown in popularity among youth and are often used interchangeably,” reads the resolution.
“Wearing a helmet while participating in wheeled activities can reduce the participant’s risk of head injury by at least 45 per cent.”
One statistic finds 300 people are treated each week in North America for skateboarding injuries.
Its proponents hope that if the resolution is adopted at the AUMA convention that begins Nov. 22, it will put pressure on the provincial government to expand mandatory helmet use.
But while a more stringent helmet law is a good step, some Calgary skateboarders questioned its potential effectiveness.
“We’ve had a mandatory bike helmet law for nearly 20 years and it’s never enforced,” said skateboarder Steve Craig.
“When did you ever see a bylaw officer pull over a bicyclist?”
He conceded a law would increase helmet use even without visible enforcement, “but for every action, there’s an opposite reaction, there’ll be people who are resisting.”
Jordan Fleming, who works at Youth Brigade Snow and Skate shop, echoed that sentiment, saying skateboarders’ rebelliousness could come into play in the face of any new law.
“It’s kind of that last frontier of free will and choice,” said Fleming, who favours wearing helmets.
He said the popularity of helmets has already grown considerably in the sport over the past 15 or 20 years, with preteen skateboarders wearing them in large numbers, though that figure falls off among older teens.
“Every kid has a helmet, whether they wear it or not is what’s up for discussion,” said Fleming.
He said some skateboarding venues in Calgary and elsewhere already demand helmets be worn.
But he said while there’d be a pushback initially among skateboarders, “a lot of that fight would start to pull back.”
Research conducted by safety promotion agencies have found the vast majority of skateboarding injuries occur outside skate parks, with many involving collisions with vehicles.