I’m sure the details of Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s traffic accident June 12 in
Ben suffered several facial injuries, including a broken jaw, when his head collided with the windshield of the car and he was thrown to the ground. He is expected to recover fully and seems to be back to his normal self. The driver of the car was cited for failing to yield the right of way by turning into the path of Ben’s motorcycle.
This accident – at least here in the Burgh where the Super Bowl-winning quarterback is known simply as “Ben” to all – focused a lot of attention on the safety aspects of wearing helmets when doing certain activities like riding motorcycles, bikes and horses or when skiing.
Ben, who by nature of his job is a role model to young people, issued a statement following his crash saying that IF he ever rides a motorcycle again, he will definitely wear a helmet.
Helmets are a much more common sight nowadays as we see children sporting them as they bike through our neighborhoods. But on our recent rip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina we were fairly shocked to see lots of bike riders NOT wearing helmets. Granted, they were probably using rented bikes during their stay at the beach, but we couldn’t help but comment when we saw Baby Boomer and senior-aged riders without helmets. What was even more alarming, though, was how many children we saw riding without helmets on the paths next to the main road, some accompanied by adults and some not.
Granted, vacations are a time to shake up the routine a little, but there’s no way adults should ever allow little ones to ride without helmets. And these same adults should be setting an example themselves.
Bike rental shops also rent helmets, so there’s no excuse.
This editorial brought to you by www.boomthis.com. Jumping off the soapbox now.
By Teresa K. Flatley