A Lesson From Biking

Natasha Richardson's tragic death reminded me of something I was told when I was doing a lot of biking about 20 years ago. I was told that, unhelmeted, you can die from falling off a bike that's standing still. Ms. Richardson's death, happening on a bunny slpe, falling onto slushy snow show that great impact isn't necessary. I can only hope that her death gets a few more people to wear helmets both on the ski slope and on bikes. Here in NJ, our legislature enacted a law mandating helmet use by everyone under 17 on roads and public areas when biking, roller blading, and skateboarding. Unfortunately, it's widely ignored, even by the cops. I believe that failure to enforce laws breeds disrespect for the law, so the failure to enforce this law has a corrosive effect on society.