We all hope that other states will use New Jersey as an example and start to use logic and safety, vs emotion or pressure from the ski area operators, to make good leadership decisions. Remember when seat belts in cars were optional? Remember when skiis didn’t have safety straps or self activating brakes? Hopefully we will be asking the same thing about Ski Helmets a decade from now.

The New Jersey law will go into effect for the 2011-2012 season and will require a properly fitted helmet for anyone under the age of 18 on any New Jersey ski slopes.

Congrats New Jersey. Be proud. You’ve got our attention. Hopefully the rest of the country will follow suit.

Matt Sampson | Director | SkiHelmets.org

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1. New Jersey has a new Ski Helmet law brewing again

Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sacramento -

California ski resorts would have to publish reports on how many people are injured or killed on the slopes, increase safety measures, and force minors and employees to wear helmets, under a new bill.

The proposal by Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, is largely opposed by the ski industry. It aims to establish across-the-board safety rules, including a standardized system for safety padding on lifts and other equipment. It would require signs marking ski boundaries and hazards such as cliffs.

Jones’ proposal also goes further than a ski helmet law introduced this month by Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, which would mirror bicycle helmet laws and impose a $25 fine on parents whose kids fail to comply with the law. Jones’ proposal would require ski resorts to enforce the helmet requirement for minors and make it a crime for employees to fail to wear a helmet.

“There are a number of things that could be done to make this recreational activity safer,” said Jones, who is running for state Insurance Commissioner.

Bob Roberts, the executive director of the California Ski Industry Association, which represents major resorts in California and Nevada, said the legislation would put the resorts at a huge legal risk. He said the legislation was also unnecessary and unreasonable, noting that that resorts often don’t learn the true extent of skiers’ injuries because of privacy laws.

“We’re not in a position to do some of the things they would like to be done … ski patrols write up incident reports (of injuries) but they are not doctors,” Roberts said. “And we question why, when the state has a $20 billion budget deficit, they are paying so much attention to something that, when you talk to most winter sport participants, they know the risks and are comporting accordingly.”

Roberts said resort employees should not have to police whether minors are wearing helmets, and he said that most major resorts already have detailed safety plans. He said the industry is reticent to publish those reports online because “we live in a litigious state” but that consumers can request to see those safety plans.

The association supports Yee’s bill to make parents responsible for children wearing helmets.

A similar law, also authored by Jones, was killed last year after concerns arose about the cost. Jones said he is willing to work with legislators to ensure the bill does not burden the deficit-ridden state.

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2. California trying again with Ski Helmet Laws
3. New Ski Helmet Bill Proposed in California by Senator Yee

ARVADA, CO – We are very excited to announce that California State Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) has proposed a new ski helmet law for anyone under 18 on the slopes in California. The bill was introduced the past Wednesday.

At skihelmets.org, we understand the magnitude of such a bill and applaud Senator Yee for his efforts. Opinions will be very mixed on this one and we all look forward to see what ends up happening. California could be a leader in this arena (similar to their environmental policies that so many states try to emulate). We wish Senator Yee the absolute best on his work at creating this law and hope that other states will follow suit in the future.

Here is the entire press release from Senator Yee’s Office:

Senator Yee Proposes Bill to Keep Kids Safe on the Slopes

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Legislation would require all children to wear helmets while skiing and snowboarding

SACRAMENTO – Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) introduced legislation today to safeguard children who enjoy California’s most popular alpine sports: skiing and snowboarding. SB 880 would require all children under age 18 to wear helmets while skiing and snowboarding. SB 880 is modeled after existing law that requires minors to wear helmets while riding a bicycle.

“California’s ski slopes are perhaps the last area of recreation where we do not have basic safety standards in place for children,” said Yee, who is a child psychologist. “Despite repeated warnings from public health experts, professional athletes, and ski resorts, each winter brings news of hundreds of unnecessary tragedies for the failure to wear a helmet. With this legislation, we can significantly reduce instances of traumatic brain injury or death for such a vulnerable population.”

Half of all skiing deaths are caused by a head injury. Recent studies show that when helmets are used, the incidence of traumatic brain or head injury has been reduced 29 percent to 56 percent. The Federal Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has found that more than 7,000 head injuries per year on the slopes in the U.S. could be prevented or reduced in severity by the use of a helmet. The CPSC study also showed that “for children under 15 years of age, 53 percent of head injuries (approximately 2,600 of the 4,950 head injuries annually) are addressable by use of a helmet.

“We are very pleased to be working with Dr. Yee on this important public safety measure for children in California,” said Dr Jo Linder-Crow, Executive Director of the California Psychological Association. “The tremendous research coming from the growing field of neuropsychology made this an issue of utmost importance to our members and the public that we needed to tackle head on. The lives lost and public health costs are too high to ignore any longer.”

In anticipation of a response by some that helmets for child skiers and snowboarders should be left to the parents, Senator Yee said, “When the data is so conclusive that helmets save lives and reduce severity of injuries, California should set minimum standards for safety. We correctly do not allow parental choice for car seats and seat belts or basic vaccinations for children attending schools; nor should a helmet for kids on ski slopes be optional.”

Following the lead of California’s bicycle helmet law, SB 880 would impose a fine of not more than $25 on the parents of a child who fails to wear a helmet while skiing or snowboarding.

###

Contact: Adam J. Keigwin,
(916) 256-5758

SOURCE: http://dist08.casen.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC={EFA496BC-EDC8-4E38-9CC7-68D37AC03DFF}&DE={F497DA22-62C0-47E6-AD75-9130005C2AD6}

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3. BREAKING NEWS: Ski Helmet Bill in CA Approved

Lower Austria made it compulsory last season and now Upper Austria has followed suit. The provincial parliament passed the new law this week.

It follows the death of a woman last winter who was hit by the German politician, Dieter Althaus. It was a big story in Austria and caused many to buy a helmet and some areas to make it compulsory to wear one.

Read about the accident and the background to the story here.

There was also the death of the actress Natasha Richardson in Canada that received worldwide publicity and we covered it extensively on PlanetSKI.

Not all are in favour of compulsion though.

One Upper Austrian politician, the green Party leader Rudi Anschober, said most children wear a helmet and that compulsion is not a good idea.

Parents in Austria have been made responsible for ensuring that their children wear a helmet, but it is unclear what the punishment for not wearing one may be.

Last winter there were numerous threads and debates in chat forums about whether wearing a helmet should be made compulsory. It would be interesting to see if views are changing.

Here at PlanetSKI we are in favour of wearing a helmet, but against compulsion.

Please fell free to offer your views in the comment box below.
Should we all be made to wear a helmet for our own protection?

Source: http://www.planetski.eu/news/1070

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