Candidate hopes council will enact an all-ages helmet rule

By Shawn Skager

The Courier-Herald

At the Oct. 4 Buckley City Council meeting, Buckley resident and unopposed candidate for the position 2 council seat Cristi Boyle-Barrett urged the city to consider the adoption of a citywide helmet law.

According to Boyle-Barrett, the driving reason behind her championing the helmet law is simple.

&#8221I just didn't like seeing the little kids, or the big kids without helmets (at the skate park),“ she said. &#8221We live in a town where it's still comfortable for parents to let their kids go play. There is a lot of non-parental supervision. I was seeing these 6-, 7- and 8-year-olds without helmets. Then I was watching the older kids doing way more dangerous things on the books. I couldn't believe there wasn't a helmet law already on the books.“

In addition to not having a helmet law for the city, Buckley's new skate park also does not require skaters to wear protective gear, although a sign outside the park strongly recommends it.

Seeing the need for law Boyle-Barrett got busy, gathering information and presenting the city council with statistics, benefits of a helmet law and even a mock ordinance.

&#8221With a helmet on their head people are 85 percent less likely to have a serious injury,“ Boyle-Barrett said. &#8221I'm not sure what the liability to the city is, but there would also be less calls to the fire department.“

Although seeing kids without their helmets spurred her action, Boyle-Barrett said the law should cover all ages.

&#8221I'm hoping that city will look at an all-ages law, because it's easier to enforce,“ she said.

According to Boyle-Barrett, the law is intended more to aid parents, educate and raise awareness, rather than be an enforceable law.

&#8221If you have a good awareness and education program and you have that law in place, you get a higher level of compliance and you don't have to enforce it as much,“ she said.

However, if push came to shove, Boyle-Barrett admitted that having the law on the books would help.

&#8221If they don't wear it you will be able to say, ‘the city of Buckley has a law that says you have to wear the helmet,'“ she said.

In addition, Boyle-Barrett said the helmet law would be a good idea for the expanding trail system in the area.

&#8221Enumclaw has a bicycle helmet law, as does Pierce County and Orting,“ she said. &#8221It'd be nice for people using the trails, once they are all connected, to not have to go, ‘Where do we need a helmet?' They'd know they need one for the whole place.“

Councilmember Pat Johnson agreed that the law needs to be inclusive.

&#8221I personally don't like to wear them but I do,“ she said. &#8221I wear them when I bicycle and I wear them when I ski. They don't nickname them brain buckets for nothing.

&#8221As a matter of fact, if we have a helmet law it should be for everything and everyone. A lot of people say it should be a matter of choice and as much as I dislike rules that take away any of our liberties, I think it's a good idea.“

The proposed law went before the council Tuesday night. Results were unavailable at press time.

Shawn Skager can be reached at sskager@courierherald.com.