Recently, my husband and I were witnesses to a terrible, devastating, and fatal accident involving a car and a child on a bicycle. It was a tragic event for the family and all involved.

I became curious about the bicycle helmet law in Ohio. I was saddened to see that though 21 states have passed a state bicycle helmet law for children, Ohio does not have such a law. A few local communities in Ohio have some ordinances, but I feel this should apply to the whole state of Ohio. By passing a helmet law in Ohio, we are showing our children, current Ohioans, and future Ohioans, that we care about our children's safety and that we, as Ohioans, take this matter seriously (as it should be). 

I myself was involved in a motorized bicycle accident as a teenage (totally my fault) and I am certain that had I not been wearing a helmet, at my friend's parents' request, I would have died the second my head hit the concrete. Until now, I have just been thankful that someone's parents asked me to wear a helmet; but I now realize that this is a law that is lacking in Ohio. 

"According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if all children ages four to 15 wore helmets while riding their bikes, it would prevent up to 45,000 head injuries and 55,000 scalp and face injuries each year. The NHTSA advises: 'Regardless of your age or skill, wear a properly fitted, certified helmet on every ride' (https://www.bressmanlaw.com/blog/ohio-bicycle-helmet-laws/ 

I would suggest that we extend the helmet law to scooters, skateboards, "Segways" (or other similar devices), and motorized bicycles as well for all children under the age of 18. Also, children who are riding on a bicycle shared with a parent or an adult should be required to wear a helmet as well; just because they are not the ones technically "driving" the bicycle, they can still get hurt if the parent has an accident while on the bicycle. I mention this because I think as long as a child is on a bicycle (under the age of 4 or over the age of 15), they should be required to wear a helmet for their protection. The law should also state the helmet be a well or properly fitting helmet. 

The fine for a child not wearing a helmet on a bicycle (or scooter, skateboards, "Segways" and motorized bicycles) should be significant enough to deter people from breaking this important safety law. I read that one state only has a fine of $25 and another state has a fine of $75, but the fine for parking in a handicap spot without a handicap permit is around $200? This doesn't make sense and shows the general lack of respect for such an important law to protect our children.

We should keep our children safe. I request your signature and support to make Ohio safer for our children. Today, there are so many distractions on the roads for drivers, including internal distractions; so we should be proactive and pass an Ohio helmet law for our children under the age of 18. Let's make Ohio "helmet smart" and be an example for other states to pass similar laws. 

Thank you.