It’s now illegal for children under age 16 to ride a bicycle on public roads,
bikeways or other public property without a helmet.
The penalty for
violating Act 255, passed last year by the Legislature, is a fine of $25 – for
the parents of the violator.
The new law, which took effect Monday, also
impacts those riding in child seats on bikes, young passengers on bicycles, or
those being towed in trailers behind bicycles, if they are under 16. It also
impacts businesses which rent bicycles.
Any fines collected under the new
law go into the state general fund.
But Kaua’i Police inspector Clayton
Arinaga, whose Patrol Services Bureau enforces the new law, prefers education
to enforcement, at least during the law’s infancy.
So, expect officers to
issue friendly warnings about the new law as part of a public-awareness
campaign, followed by strong enforcement, if need be, Arinaga said.
John
Tanner, owner of Bicycle John, said he sold many helmets just before the law
went into effect but is a bit disturbed that it only pertains to bicycles.
If he sells a skateboard, scooter or bicycle, he also pitches helmet use
as simply a smart practice, he noted.
Most of his customers who bought
bicycles before Christmas knew about the pending helmet law, he
continued.
“We sold a lot of helmets to people who weren’t buying a bike or
a scooter or anything, (who) just came in to buy a helmet specifically for the
law,” Tanner said.
He said he doubts the law will be enforced vigorously,
if for no other reason than police have better things to do with their time
than detain minors until their parents can be cited.
“I think it’s great
that they have a helmet law, (but) they should have put something in to place
to basically give the helmets away to people who couldn’t afford them,” Tanner
said.
The $29 price of a helmet can be hefty for some people who have just
been told their youngsters can no longer ride bicycles without one, he
said.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at [
HREF=”mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net”>pcurtis@pulitzer.net] or 245-3681 (ext.
224).
