Bike helmet law for children can be extended to the ski slopes

federal studies that show helmets can reduce by half the risk of serious head injuries in children 15 and younger.

And with the Winter Olympics starting next month, "you'll have more people go to these untrained," Keigwin said. "Even the best skiers and snowboarders wearing helmets."

Any discussion of the bill, SB 880, is still weeks away. It will not be heard on the Senate floor until at least next month and then be referred to committee for further debate and possible amendment.

It will not be back for final approval until the end of this year, after which it will need to be blessed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.


Governor's office as a rule do not comment on pending legislation. But one Senate colleague Yee, Southern California Republican Tom Harman, has called the proposal example of "nanny government," said the Los Angeles Times: "You go into the question of how far governments should go in protecting people from themselves.

Yee, though, has secured at least one major ally so far: the main ski resort state.

California Ski Industry Association, which represents resort operators in California and Nevada, have pledged to support the bill as currently written. One key is that the penalty for not wearing a helmet fell on the parents and not the resort - which already requires a lot of staff and students in ski schools for the rope.

"More and more people are using the helmet, at all ages and all stripes," said Executive Director Bob Roberts. "And let's face it: We also sell them."

Which raises another issue: fees. After all, helmets for kids can run anywhere from $ 30 to more than $ 100. And while it was only a fraction of what it cost to go skiing, some parents will not balk at the purchase of new equipment - a fine or not?

Chuck Peters, president of the South Bay-based Sundancers Ski and Snowboard Club, allowed that "some people may cry and whine about the price."

But, he added, "You can get a decent helmet for less than the cost of a day on the slopes. All the families in our club will support him. It's literally a no-brainer."

By Denis C. Theriault