Helmets, part 2

To the editor,

Julian Young, the coordinator of injury prevention and control at
the NS Department of Health Promotion and Protection, had the following
reasoning for the helmet law against skateboarders: “…it’s not about
controlling their behaviour…it’s about saying, as a society, we can’t
afford to bear the cost of that person’s brain injury.” I believe we
can afford to bear the cost of a few skateboarders injuring
themselves at the Common. We could remove positions in government of
people who make unnecessary laws that police officers are obliged to
enforce, and then use those funds to treat said skateboarders.
Encouraging people to wear helmets is a great idea, but making
criminals out of teenagers for skateboarding is ridiculous. It’s a
shame, because that skateboard park is probably one of the best things
Halifax has done for its youth in a long time. —Stephen Hare,
Halifax

This article appears in May 28 – Jun 3, 2009.