Wear Helmets

Maybe you've seen them zipping around malls or on suburban sidewalks - kids on roller shoes, the footwear with a wheel in the heel. "Heelys," as they're known, look like fun - and they are. But doctors say kids are getting hurt on Heelys because parents aren't making them take enough precautions. Meanwhile, some mall operators and guardians of other public spaces are banning them to keep "heeling" youngsters from colliding with shoppers and pedestrians. The shoes convert to skates when users lean back on their heels - letting children zip over hard surfaces at high speed.

Senate defeats move to change law on motorcycle helmetsThe Senate defeated a back-door attempt yesterday to repeal Maryland's 6-year-old law requiring motorcycle riders to wear helmets. The measure, which would have required minors to wear helmets while exempting adults, failed by a 20-to-27 vote.Reprising previous years' debates over the law, the bill's supporters argued there was no proof that requiring helmets has saved lives. Cyclists can hear and see better to avoid accidents without the protective gear, they said.

Bill to require simultaneous use of lights, wipers advancesA bill that would require motorists in Maryland to turn on their headlights or parking lights whenever they use their windshield wipers was approved yesterday by the House Commerce and Government Matters Committee.Proponents say the goal is to make cars more visible in inclement weather.The measure, sponsored by Del. Betty Workman, an Allegany County Democrat, goes to the full House of Delegates for consideration.Easing of helmet law for motorcyclists defeatedA House of Delegates committee has killed a bill that would have allowed adults to ride motorcycles in Maryland without wearing helmets.

About 250 bicyclists will ride from Mount Airy to the Peach Festival in Westminster tomorrow to raise safety awareness and money for the Brain Injury Association of Maryland.The first-time bicycling event is sponsored by several local businesses and BIAM, a nonprofit group that serves as clearinghouse for survivors of brain injuries and their families."Our goal is to promote safe biking, raise money and have fun," said Parker Sutton, BIAM's executive director. "A big part of that push for public awareness involves brain injury prevention campaigns.

About 250 bicyclists will ride from Mount Airy to the Peach Festival in Westminster tomorrow to raise safety awareness and money for the Brain Injury Association of Maryland.The first-time bicycling event is sponsored by several local businesses and BIAM, a nonprofit group that serves as clearinghouse for survivors of brain injuries and their families."Our goal is to promote safe biking, raise money and have fun," said Parker Sutton, BIAM's executive director. "A big part of that push for public awareness involves brain injury prevention campaigns.

Taneytown police hope citations and fines will prompt young bicyclists to obey Maryland's nearly year-old helmet law.Chief Melvin Diggs, frustrated with the lack of enforcement powers in the state law, has asked the City Council to adopt an ordinance that would allow officers to issue citations to parents whose children ride without helmets. Parents of repeat offenders could be fined $25.The City Council has asked its attorney to draft an ordinance.The measure was prompted by a July accident involving a 6-year-old bicyclist who wasn't wearing a helmet.

An article in yesterday's editions incorrectly reported that a proposed constitutional amendment to change the Maryland Judicial Disabilities Commission would have to be signed by the governor before it could appear on a statewide ballot. Amendments to the state constitution must be approved by a three-fifths majority of the House of Delegates and Senate, but do not require the governor's signature., The Sun regrets the errors.An effort to reform the way Maryland judges are disciplined is making headway through the General Assembly.

It was about a year ago that Cathy Samaras of Annapolis, the president of the Chesapeake Women's Lacrosse Association, said of the idea that girls should wear helmets while playing lacrosse, "This is a women's game, and we resent men coming in and giving opinions on our game."It's not the same game. Ours is a non-contact sport."Most of the coaches, officials and administrators involved in women's lacrosse are adamantly against helmets. They believe that wearing helmets would take the beauty and finesse out of their game and replace it with aggressive play.

Dawn Blean still shudders when she remembers her 3-year-old son's close encounter with a truck as he rode in a bicycle seat behind her.Ms. Blean heard the truck approach, then felt something hit her in the back, causing her to crash the bike in a ditch.Both she and her son had been hit by a side-rearview mirror on the passing truck.Neither of them was badly hurt. But the bicycle helmet her son Thomas wore was cracked like an egg.Had he not been wearing it, he most certainly would have been seriously hurt and maybe killed.

Hopefully, by the time you read this, Glen Burnie baseball coach Bruce Sider will be in the clear after being struck in the head by a line drive Wednesday at Southern-Anne Arundel.Sider, who was pitching pre-game batting practice, was flown to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore on Wednesday and was listed in "serious and stable condition" yesterday.Unfortunately, it took Sider's misfortune to bring attention to the necessity of taking every safety precaution available for sports.

Christy Collins' vision for the future of baseball can be glimpsed through the polycarbonate bars of a face mask. The Ohio researcher examined data from dozens of high school teams and concluded that the best way to reduce serious injuries on the diamond would be to require that all infielders, from pitchers to shortstops, wear helmets and face protection. Her suggestion, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, would mean a huge change in the game's gear. Few think the idea will come to pass soon - if ever - but it has become part of a larger discussion about safety in America's pastime, where a long-held culture of toughness is slowly giving way to more cautious attitudes.

Maybe you've seen them zipping around malls or on suburban sidewalks - kids on roller shoes, the footwear with a wheel in the heel. "Heelys," as they're known, look like fun - and they are. But doctors say kids are getting hurt on Heelys because parents aren't making them take enough precautions. Meanwhile, some mall operators and guardians of other public spaces are banning them to keep "heeling" youngsters from colliding with shoppers and pedestrians. The shoes convert to skates when users lean back on their heels - letting children zip over hard surfaces at high speed.

Picture this scenario: Two guys hop onto their gas-powered two-wheelers - one is a heavy V-twin and the other is a small single-cylinder four-stroke - and motor down the road. Neither is wearing a helmet. The guy riding the bigger bike stays at a steady 15 mph while his friend twists the throttle until he reaches 30 mph. A cop in a parked, unmarked cruiser looks up from his morning paper as the two roll by. Who gets pulled over? In Maryland, only the motorcycle rider gets ticketed. He wasn't wearing the mandatory head protection.

ASPEN, Colo. - As another ski season winds down, industry officials in Colorado are puzzling over why more people have died in skiing accidents this winter than ever before, a record that has brought new attention to the use of helmets for protection against serious head injuries. So far, the death toll in Colorado is 15 - 14 skiers and 1 snowboarder - surpassing the previous high of 12 set in the winter of 1998-99. In only one case this season was the victim wearing a helmet. The accidents fall into no discernible pattern.

Teacher bargaining rights bill to die in Senate committee A bill pushed by Maryland's largest teachers union to let issues such as curriculum and classroom assignments be bargained will die in a state Senate committee without coming to a vote. Sen. Thomas L. Bromwell, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said yesterday that he will not bring the measure to a vote before the General Assembly adjourns for the year tomorrow night. Maryland State Teachers Association is seeking the legislation to allow local school boards and unions to negotiate a broader range of issues.

House OKs bill giving immunity to parent if baby left in `safe haven' The House of Delegates overwhelmingly approved a bill last night that would grant immunity to a parent who leaves an unharmed newborn in a "safe haven" such as a hospital or police station within three days of the child's birth. Del. Sharon M. Grosfeld, a Montgomery County Democrat, introduced the bill after a 19-year-old woman from her county was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 10 years for abandoning a newborn.

The state Senate defeated an effort yesterday to repeal Maryland's 8-year-old law requiring motorcycle riders to wear helmets. The bill, which would have required minors to wear helmets while exempting adults, failed on a 22-25 vote. The bill's supporters said there is no proof that requiring helmets has saved lives, arguing that helmets might actually cause accidents because they interfere with cyclists' ability to see and hear. Opponents said the law has saved taxpayers money by preventing debilitating brain injuries.

Senate defeats move to change law on motorcycle helmetsThe Senate defeated a back-door attempt yesterday to repeal Maryland's 6-year-old law requiring motorcycle riders to wear helmets. The measure, which would have required minors to wear helmets while exempting adults, failed by a 20-to-27 vote.Reprising previous years' debates over the law, the bill's supporters argued there was no proof that requiring helmets has saved lives. Cyclists can hear and see better to avoid accidents without the protective gear, they said.

About 250 bicyclists will ride from Mount Airy to the Peach Festival in Westminster tomorrow to raise safety awareness and money for the Brain Injury Association of Maryland.The first-time bicycling event is sponsored by several local businesses and BIAM, a nonprofit group that serves as clearinghouse for survivors of brain injuries and their families."Our goal is to promote safe biking, raise money and have fun," said Parker Sutton, BIAM's executive director. "A big part of that push for public awareness involves brain injury prevention campaigns.

About 250 bicyclists will ride from Mount Airy to the Peach Festival in Westminster tomorrow to raise safety awareness and money for the Brain Injury Association of Maryland.The first-time bicycling event is sponsored by several local businesses and BIAM, a nonprofit group that serves as clearinghouse for survivors of brain injuries and their families."Our goal is to promote safe biking, raise money and have fun," said Parker Sutton, BIAM's executive director. "A big part of that push for public awareness involves brain injury prevention campaigns.