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Accident reinforces need for bike helmets

JENNIFER PELLEGRINI

Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 02:00

Local News - Sarah Rosianna makes it a point to reinforce bike safety with her eight-year-old son, Peter, whenever he goes for a ride.

But an accident down the street from their Lavinia Street home Thursday evening, which critically injured a 12-year-old Fort Erie boy, gave her the opportunity to drive home the no helmet, no bike rule again.

"Oh, (you got that) straight," she said Friday morning.

Rosianna and her family came across the accident as an ambulance was rushing the boy to Buffalo Children's Hospital. "I heard he was unconscious for the first five minutes. (Then) I guess he was just screaming."

Rosianna said she saw the mangled wreckage of the bike and the damaged Kia Sportage SUV that struck the boy.

"There were parts (of the bike) everywhere," she said. "The indent on the Sportage looked like a body on a bike. It was terrible."

The boy, whose name is not being made public, remains in hospital, where he has been upgraded to serious but stable condition.

Niagara Regional Police Staff Sgt. Mark Lightfoot said the accident remains under investigation, but "at this point, it doesn't appear that the (53-year-old) driver was disobeying the rules of the road." Neither the Fort Erie youth, nor a 13 year old who died after slamming into a pickup truck in Hamilton Thursday - were wearing helmets.

In the Hamilton incident, the youth swerved to avoid a woman with a stroller when he struck the pickup truck.

According to a media release for the Fort Erie incident, the youngster was riding on High Street when he entered the intersection with Murray Street, where the Kia had the right of way.

According to statistics on the Regional Niagara Bicycling Committee website compiled by Const. Tim Whittle of the central traffic unit, cyclists are at fault in car-versus-bike collisions most of the time.

While he's loathe to say a helmet's not a good for cyclists, Whittle said he'd like to see greater emphasis put on the importance of following the rules of the road.

"(A helmet's) not going to save your life in a catastrophic accident," he said.

Cyclists should be aware of their surroundings, treat the bike as a vehicle - as it's considered under the Highway Traffic Act - and follow the rules of the road, he said.

He recognizes the value of a helmet, particularly in a slow-speed spill, and criticized the government for "watering down" legislation so adult cyclists aren't required to wear helmets.

Those who don't, he said, set a bad example for kids, and set them up to ditch helmets as soon as they turn 18. "As soon as they did that," he said, "they killed it. It was doomed for failure."

Pat Dracup, program director with the Brain Injury Association of Niagara, said her program advocates the use of helmets, regardless of age.

She agreed parents can set an example by wearing one themselves. They can also counter the uncool rap helmets get by allowing their kids to choose the one they're most willing to wear.

"It's important to reinforce the importance of the gear," she said. "Teens and young children don't always perceive the risk of injury. They believe, 'It's not going to happen to me.' And sometimes negative parental influence comes into play."

That was echoed by Mitch, Adam and Jake, three Fort Erie youths who were weaving their way along High Street - without helmets. They said their parents know they don't wear them and don't push them to. Mitch said he uses a horn to warn drivers he's nearby. When told a helmet might be more useful in a slow-speed crash, he laughed.

"I don't like them," he said. "They break."

So do heads, said Dracup.

She said a helmet would do little in a high-impact crash, but stressed proper road safety - coupled with appropriate safety gear - are a cyclist's best bet while on the road.

"Head injuries cause most bike-related deaths," she said. "And helmet use reduces the risk of a serious head injury."

jpellegrini@nfreview.com

ACCIDENTS IN NIAGARA

- Total collisions in 2005 - 62

- Total collisions resulting in injuries - 34

- Fatalities - 1

- Number of times cyclists were at fault - 24

- Accidents involving youth ages 10-19 - 23

- Speed at which a skull can shatter on impact - seven-10 kilometres an hour

Source: www.rnbc.info, Safe Kids Canada