October 6, 1998

Suzan Ayers
Staff Writer

If you’re riding a bicycle without a helmet, you may want to get one.

The Town of Boone’s traffic code, section 71.11, states that “every person operating a bicycle on a public right-of-way or on any property open to public or used by the public for pedestrian or vehicular purposes shall wear a helmet of good fit.”

A ticket for $50 plus court costs are the penalties for not wearing a helmet.

The only way the ticket can be voided is if the person receiving the ticket visits the police station and submits proof of owning a helmet within 10 days of the date of the ticket, according to a spokesperson from the Town of Boone.

Several students have had accidents and were not wearing helmets. These students suffered significant head injuries, according to Dean of Students Barbara Daye.  “Helmets save lives,” said Daye.

According to Capt. Larry Foster of the University Police, university officers can issue tickets to people found in violation of the law.

The law protects the safety of bicycle riders. Although there has been no directive to enforce this law yet, Foster says that should an accident occur, officers would have to issue tickets to violators.

Foster says most bicycle accidents result in head injuries.

Boone physician Dr. Bill Herring said that while wearing a helmet may not be the “cool” thing to do, safety is more important than being “cool.”

There are also many studies that show the majority of bike accidents result in serious head injuries.  “Wearing a helmet makes good sense,” Herring said.

Herring also said a small percentage of people, both on and off campus, wear helmets and attributes it to the fact that the law is not visibly enforced.

“A serious head injury or death will raise awareness to the point where more people put on a helmet before getting on a bicycle,” said Herring.

The major argument against wearing a helmet is that it infringes upon people’s individual freedoms.

People who receive serious head injuries generally become wards of the state, said Herring.  This occurs because their medical insurance runs out.

“The cost of a lifetime of care is so great that eventually insurance companies refuse to pay their medical bills any longer,” said Herring.

Most people with serious head injuries end up in a vegetative state.  According to Herring, helmets prevent this injury when worn correctly.

The university was not supportive of the law when it was passed. The university said that ASU was state property and the law was a Boone law. “The university refused to enforce the law,” said Herring.

Foster said that his officers will continue to issue tickets at accidents, despite the absence of a directive.