Handlebar Ornaments Schools & Kids, posted by Dave, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jul 23, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Everyday I see scores of school ages kids riding around town with their bicycle helmets hanging from their handlebars. I guess it's "un-cool" to be safe or to wear a helmet on your head. Maybe parents should show photographs of bicyclists on the losing end of vehicle collisions. I wonder if those same kids will think it cool to be a permanent human vegetable or worse. I don't know, maybe it's just Darwin at work.
Posted by RS, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Jul 23, 2007 at 2:28 pm
I pass a lot of kids when I am bicycle commuting to work. Most kids I see are wearing helmets, so just a different observation from you. Few of them stop for any stop signs, but they wear helmets.
Posted by parent, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Jul 24, 2007 at 9:21 am
Some kids wear helmets, some don't. The ones who don't make our parenting job much harder when we advise our kids to wear helmet.
When you're driving, you really have to look for kids who bike on the wrong side -- that is just plain wrong--, so remember to look RIGHT for those bikes coming at you when you're getting ready to make a right hand turn and checking for traffic.
Posted by Palo alto mom, a resident of the Professorville neighborhood, on Jul 24, 2007 at 9:29 am
The younger kids seem to be good about wearing helmet (usually even buckling them). Its the HS and some middle school kids who hang them from the handlebars.
Posted by parent, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jul 25, 2007 at 9:16 am
I thought kids could get tickets for not wearing their helmets? I'm not in favor of the police running around spending all their time on this, but it seems we could use the peer network in favor this time. Cite 2-3 kids crossing middlefield for not wearing helmets, and see how fast the word gets out... Miss a soccer game or two for a few days at traffic safety school? Couldn't hurt.
Posted by Duveneck Mom, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Jul 26, 2007 at 4:00 pm
So many of the middle school and high school kids do not wear helmets. I would like the police to really start ticketing these kids! If my kid was doing it, I would want him to be ticketed!
Posted by Huh, a resident of the Charleston Meadows neighborhood, on Jul 26, 2007 at 5:29 pm
And the police should spend time ticketing them because...? I agree it is not so smart, and there is a statute on the books, but is this really the area that needs attention - high-schoolers without helmets? I'd be happier (and they probably healthier) if they rode on the right side of the street and stopped for stop signs.
Posted by Paly Parent, a member of the Palo Alto High School community, on Jul 26, 2007 at 7:26 pm
The police are usually out in force regularly at Churchill and often give kids a "final warning" which is, I believe, always repeated. But they do stop them for all sorts of things and outside JLS too.
Posted by GoodIdea, a resident of the Charleston Gardens neighborhood, on Aug 2, 2007 at 8:19 am
Good idea - in fact, let's do that with all infractions of any kind for everybody - zero tolerance period. Your same logic applies and I bet the laws are more closely followed.
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