The Government Should Mandate Helmet Use for All Cyclists

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The Government Should Mandate Helmet Use for All Cyclists

Cuts, bruises and even broken bones will heal, but damage to your brain can last a lifetime. You can prevent possible injuries from unforeseen disasters such as smacking the street, sidewalk, curb, a car, tree or anything else around you by using safety precautions. In some cases, we are required to use safety measures, while in others we are merely advised. For instance, while driving an automobile, the law requires for all occupants in the vehicle to wear safety belts. The reason for this law is because without using such cautiousness, fatal accidents would be more frequent. In the same respects, safety should be required for bicycle and motorcycle riders. Various injuries from an accident can be prevented with the correct use of a helmet. The United States does not have any federal laws requiring bicycle helmets to be worn (“Bicycle Helmet Laws”). States and localities began adopting laws in 1987, but there is no formal central registry for helmets (“Bicycle Helmet Laws”). A total of twenty states have adopted laws, including the District of Columbia as a "state", and at least 135 local laws (“Bicycle Helmet Laws”). Seventeen states have no state or local helmet laws at all (“Bicycle Helmet Laws”). According to The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, the state laws that require cyclists to wear helmets only end at the ages between fifteen and eighteen years old. As a result, children are required to wear a helmet, but it is not mandatory for adults to use these preventive measures, it is merely advised. Since accidents are inevitable, it is impossible to predict the outcome of a tragedy. Therefore, the law should include statutes that require all cyclists, regardless o...

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...e to neglect wearing helmets, even though statistics show that helmets prevent brain injuries in about four out of six serious crashes (“Why should we wear helmets?”). Bicycles on a public road are considered to be vehicles, and the operator has the rights and obligations of vehicle users in the ever-more-populated and outrageously unsafe road environment, so requiring bicycle and motorcycle helmets for all cyclists is as reasonable as requiring seatbelt usage in cars. Wearing a helmet reduces the amount of deaths from traffic accidents as well as brain damage to cyclists. The safety of citizens in the United States are everybody’s responsibility. Advertising safety precautions is important for both cyclists and drivers. Regardless of how cyclist feel about helmets, the government should include statutes on the use of helmets for all ages and enforce them greatly.

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