It’s always so nice to see young families out riding bikes together.
There’s the littlest one, wobbling along on her princess bike, tassles and streamers and training wheels and a nice shiny new helmet all part of the package as she learns a skill never to be forgotten.
Her brother rides circles around her on his new BMX, his black skater-type helmet adorned with stickers, the chin strap safely done up in case of a tumble where head meets cement.
The kids are all armed and ready with the proper safety gear. How about mom and dad?
Too often they are a different story, sadly not properly equipped. Coffee in one hand, the other hand on the bars, an ear-bud hanging from one ear with music playing from the iPhone.
Throw in a text if possible. What a great day. Except mom and dad aren’t wearing their helmet. Fast forward 10 years and those two sweet kids are now teenagers. Now neither is wearing a helmet as they head out on their bikes. Wonder where they learned that?
It’s true most of us grew up in a time where bikes and helmets did not go hand-in-hand. No, we jumped on that factory Kuwahara without a care in the world, ripping through neighbourhoods, hitting jumps and dirt piles without a safety item to be found.
And most of us have likely been concussed more times than we can remember. Who among us hasn’t been flung over the handle-bars and hit hard?
And so the world of biking has evolved to a safer place.
Helmets are common-place and it’s the law to wear one. And that’s a good thing because the world itself is not a safer place.
No we didn’t have to put up with distracted drivers who continue to text while driving, potentially vearing into a bike lane at any time.
Nor did we have to put up with seniors on scooters (without a helmet themselves), riding the wrong way in a bike lane. Or the dude with two bags full of empties, riding his bike without a helmet.
Some might joke that we send our kids out in a bubble and laugh that we never had to wear helmets when we were kids. Those are the same people that think it’s OK to go riding with their kids and not wear a helmet. It’s a lousy example of how to be safe, how to follow the law.
So if you think you’re too cool to wear a helmet, have a read of some of our stories in this issue about people living with brain injuries and think whether that would be cool to have your child living through brain trauma.
Figure it out non-helmet people. You’re not very cool at all.