Neurological Safety Is Imperative

Rory J. Koopmans, B. Admin., #203, 8912-156 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T5R 5Z2

February XIXth, MMX

Hon. David G. Hancock, QC, MLA, Minister of Education, Progressive Conservative, Edmonton-Whitemud

Dear David:

Why not ensure total safety for all? I know it is mandatory for kids 17 & under to wear a bicycle helmet while on bikes, whether they be in a school situation or just riding at a community centre, or with their family on say a Sunday afternoon.

My advice is this David, get on the bullhorn & combine with Advanced Education Minister Doug Horner. Kids who have just become adults but are still in school should also be made to wear helmets. After all their brains are just as valuable as kids who are still of school age. Without helmet safety, how can we ensure that these older kids, including those that are taking school by academic upgrading as adults will have their full brain capacity when they enter the workforce?

If Donald Ross Getty could enact a seatbelt law wherein all kids and adults have to be buckled in, then I believe the School Act should be amended as well as the Highway Traffic Act to force all people on bicycles to wear helmets. Just as all adults on motorcycles are required to do. Not just for their own safety David in case they fall, but for the safety of drivers who might hit them unexpectedly. If a driver can't slow down, or an adult on a bike jumps out in front of him, they will less likely to be as neurologically impaired if wearing a helmet. Or at least have a brain injury that is not as severe.

As we saw with that poor 21 year old lad in the Olympics who will never grow up & have kids of his own, wearing a helmet is no guarantee that you will not get injured or killed if the impact point is hard enough. But at least by making helmets mandatory for adult students & everyone across the board, we can have a fighting chance at lowering overall injury costs & stresses.

Regards,

Rory

Source: Harvard Medical Journal.