BIKE HELMETS

Remember back in the day when you used to get home from school and jump on your bike? This was pretty much a routine for my brother and me. We had Diamond Backs at that time. Those were some of the sweetest dirt/trick bikes around. You either had a Diamond Back or a Mongoose, and you were golden. Call them the Porsches of bicycles. Anyway, it was a blast to hop on our bikes and take off through the neighborhood. We had to go see what everyone else was doing. Maybe the neighborhood crew was up for a ride down to the convenient store or something. Yeah, those were the days! Such little things were amazing. So, there we all were, racing down the gravel road; none of us wearing bike helmets. Sound about right?

We all have to admit that things are different than they were 20 years ago. With every decade come more changes. It's simply impossible to avoid. This is due to the fact that we're more knowledgeable as a species. Since we're always learning more, we adopt new precautions. Take bike helmets for example. None of us ever wore these. We didn't even consider it. Maybe if someone would have told us we had to, we would have. But, no one ever did. It just wasn't part of life as we knew it. The same could be said about seat belts and when my parents were kids. They never wore these back then. The concept was unknown to them. Of course everyone is forced to wear them now days. It's CLICK-IT or TICKET! Yeah, that actually gets annoying after a while. Anyhow, I would never send my daughter out on her bicycle without proper protection. Contemporary bike helmets are imperative in this house-hold. This way I at least know her head is protected if she takes a spill on the pavement.

About a month ago, a friend of mine found out how important bike helmets really are. He is an avid bicyclist who was out for his afternoon spin. This casual routine took a hairy turn when a car pulled out in front of him. He hit the vehicle going 35 miles per hour. YIKES. In short, he broke many bones, including his neck. On the up-side, he is recovering and will be okay. This is just an example of why bike helmets are so crucial. Without his, he would have died.