The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning on September 5, 2000 about the danger of this newest youth fad. Children most at risk are those under fifteen, probably because those are the children most involved in scooter riding.
The scooters are small and lightweight, with small wheels. Because of their weight and design, they are particularly susceptible to overturn. Even a pebble can throw a teen off his scooter, causing serious head injuries or even death. The biggest problem is that very few of the riders are wearing safety equipment. I have not seen any children wearing helmets, much less knee and elbow pads to protect them from falls.
A mother in one article I read said that she had told her son to wear a helmet, but....he wasn't wearing one. Too many parents say their little speech and then let their children do as they please. That might be okay for room cleaning. It is not okay for helmets. You are the parent. If your child won't put on a helmet, take his bike, scooter, skateboard and so on away from him. When he is out, hop into the car and drive around until you find him. If the helmet isn't on, punishment begins. At our house, a first offense means one week without wheels. Each time they are caught, the punishment doubles. I only had to enforce that rule one time with one child. The others, seeing that I meant business and really would "spy" on them, never tried it. If a child consistently breaks the rule, sell his equipment, telling him that people who repeatedly violate driving rules lose their license. They have just lost their license.
You are the parent.
You are in charge.
Act like it!
If your children are not convinced of the need for a helmet, give them this story: Take them to visit someone living with the devastating effects of head injury. A Prudential HealthCare study showed that helmets prevented head injury in 85% of all cases, and brain injury in 88% of all cases. Studies also show that although children know that helmets can keep them alive, that isn't the deciding factor. The only factor that helped was strict parental enforcement of helmet rules. Children whose parents did not consistently enforce helmet rules wore them as seldom as did children with no rules at all. In other words, if you want your teen to stay alive and intelligent, make him wear his helmet. Ugly? Who cares? (Although they are improving the appearance of helmets.) Uncomfortable? Not as uncomfortable as being in a hospital the rest of your life. Too expensive? How much is your child worth to you? Too much trouble to make him wear it? Find out what kind of care a brain injured teenager will require from you for the rest of his life. Then you'll understand trouble.
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