IL Kids Will Have To Wear Helmets

[Jubbie]

Bike helmet law headed to Illinois Senate

SPRINGFIELD | Youngsters riding bikes without helmets may one day see traffic cops in the mirrors on their handlebars, under legislation pending in the Illinois Senate.
Depending on the age of the child, the parents may be the one receiving -- and paying for -- the citation.
On a 6-3 vote, a Senate panel Tuesday approved the proposal, arguing that it may save lives. It now heads to the full Senate for further debate.
Senate Bill 2627, sponsored by state Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Chicago, would mandate bike helmets for anyone under the age of 16 caught riding without one. Police would then issue a warning that could include paying court costs.
For children under 12, the bill would allow parents ticketed for a maximum fine of $2, plus court costs.
Supporters say the object is to educate children about the importance of using a helmet, and that penalties were purposefully kept low in order to prod people into following the new law.
Opponents said the proposal is a case of government intrusion.
Todd Vandermyde, a lobbyist for ABATE, a group that opposes motorcycle helmet laws, said decisions about helmet use should be left to parents. He said such a law could breed distrust of police among youth.
"Now you want to teach my children to be fearful of cops?" he told the panel.

This is just so pathetic to me. Might as well make them keep their training wheels on till they turn 18. Just sad.

 

[nawainwright]

how many "lives" will this save? none. if you want your @#(%& @$%&@# $(%& KID TO WEAR A HELMET, MAKE HIM WEAR A HELMET!!! Don't force me and mine to do it cause you're a bad parent.

Just one more thing that doesn't need to be regulated. Kids get hurt, they will always get hurt, thats part of being a kid. Unfortunately sometimes kids get killed, and its awful, and its sucks, but the reality is that there is no way to prevent that.

 

[zoglog]

When I was little we live in Gurnee. I remember my little sister and I were riding our bikes home from the park with mom and dad and a LEO pulled us over. We were on the sidewalk and slightly confused. He gave us coupons for free ice cream at Dairy Queen since we were wearing our helmets.

I am an avid cyclist now and won't get on my Cannondale without my helmet. Maybe it is just wishful thinking that one day I will get free ice cream again....

 

[mik1202002]

how many "lives" will this save? none. if you want your @#(%& @$%&@# $(%& KID TO WEAR A HELMET, MAKE HIM WEAR A HELMET!!! Don't force me and mine to do it cause you're a bad parent!quote]

 

[Bill of Rights]

This is just so pathetic to me. Might as well keep them in the playpen till they turn 18. Just sad.

Fixed.

The sad part is that these moronic cradle-to-gravers probably would not object to the above (as "fixed") at all.

I saw this a long time ago. It's still true:

[FONT=Comic Sans MS,cursive]TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE

1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers
Who smoked and/or drank while they were
Pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing,
Tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles,
Locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode
Our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.

As infants & children,
We would ride in cars with no car seats,
No booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.

Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day
Was always a special treat.

We drank water
From the garden hose and not from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends,
From one bottle and no one actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon.
We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar.
And, we weren't overweight.
WHY?

Because we were
Always outside playing...that's why!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day,
As long as we were back when the
Streetlights came on.

No one was able
To reach us all day.. And, we were O..K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps
And then ride them down the hill, only to find out
We forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes
a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's and X-boxes.
There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable,
No video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's,
No cell phones,
No personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.
WE HAD FRIENDS
And we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth
And there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt,
And the worms did not live in us
Forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
Made up games with sticks and tennis balls and,
Although we were told it would happen,
We did not put out very many eyes..

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and
Knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just
Walked in and talked to them.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.
Those who didn't had to learn to deal
With disappointment.
Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law
Was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best
Risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.

The past 50 years
Have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility,
and we learned how to deal with it all.

If YOU are one of them?
CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others
who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the
lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives
for our own good.

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know
how brave and lucky their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house
with scissors, doesn't it ?[/FONT]

Blessings,
Bill

 

[kludge]

Well, if the Chcago residents want government healthcare to cover their kids' cracked noggins then they should expect to have to follow a few rules.

 

[MOSSMIND]

IF you are the one selling the helmets at high profit margins, then a law to make people wear your product is a great idea. As a matter of fact, I don't think it will be long before you have to wear one to be outside!

 

[Limpy88]

i believe in plainfield you have to wear your helemt for bicycles as well. but it is never enforced. i went to middle school there and a little bit of highschool. and it always came up.