1: House Safety (Security Tips) 2: The Safety City School Bus Check List 3: Firearms and you, how safe are you? 4: Have a Safe and Happy Halloween 5: Holiday Season Tips 6: Christmas Greeting 7: New Youth Criminal Justice Act 8: Winter driving tips 9: What you need to know about bicycle helmets

Constable Marc Trioreau, RCMP Community Policing Officer for the Trinity Conception District�

The simple answer is yes. That is because medical research shows that 85% of cyclists' head injuries can be prevented by a bicycle helmet. Every year, bicycle riders are killed, almost all in collisions with cars, and 75% of them die of head injuries. Many thousands more suffer less severe but still debilitating injuries which are far worse than the physical pain of scraped skin or even broken bones. Your child can suffer permanent personality changes and learning disabilities from a brain injury, and both of you will be aware of what they have lost. Common long_term effects include concentration difficulties, aggressiveness, headaches and balance problems. Imagine your anguish if this happens to your child.

Helmets sell in shops or by mail order from $20 up, or in discount stores for $10 or even less. A good shop helps with fitting, and fit is important for safety. A discount helmet can be equally protective if you take the time to fit it carefully on your child. Helmets are cheap for their benefit, so don't wait for a sale.

No. Heads grow less than legs and feet. Many child helmets come with two or even three sets of foam fitting pads. You can start with thick pads and use the thinner pads as your child's head grows. The fitting pads do not affect the impact protection of the helmet, which is provided by the firmer crushable polystyrene foam (picnic cooler foam).

Yes, if other children wear one, their parents use one, the teacher at school has told them how much good helmets do, and the child has picked out the one they really want. No, if the helmet makes your child feel like a geek, nobody else uses one and it does not fit well. Perhaps yes if you have the will to enforce the rule. Most situations fall somewhere in between, and you know your child best. Seventh grade seems to be the most resisting age for helmets, when the feeling of invincibility is strong and the rage for teen fashion is undeniable. The key motivator of helmet use for kids is fashion, not safety. Try to make use of that.

A child of any age needs head protection when riding, but a toddler's neck muscles may not support the weight of a helmet. For this and other reasons, nobody in the injury prevention community recommends riding with a child under one year old. If in doubt, take child and helmet to a pediatrician for advice. Child helmets need ventilation in hot weather, since the foam holds heat in. Toddler heads vary in shape, so pay careful attention to fit. The helmet should sit level on the child's head, and fit securely with the strap fastened.

Replace any helmet when your child crashes in it. Impact crushes some of the foam. The helmet is less protective although the damage may not be readily visible. Helmets soften impact, so the child may not even be aware that their head hit until you examine the helmet for damage. Replace the buckle if it cracks or if any piece of it breaks off. Nobody prompts you to replace your child's helmet, so give it some thought.

The standards for biking and inline skating are identical, so a bike helmet can easily double as a skating helmet for normal inline skating. There is no standard for tricycles or scooter helmets, but bicycle or inline skating helmets should be fine for either one. Aggressive skating and skateboard helmets have their own standard, and are designed for multiple hits. Most bike helmets are not suitable for that.

If you have any suggestions, ideas or comments in relation to this article, please feel free to let me know.

 Marc can be reached at:

Constable Marc Trioreau, RCMP Community Policing Officer for the Trinity Conception District