The death of actress Natasha Richardson from a head injury she sustained while skiing has reminded some parents to be more vigilant about making sure their children wear helmets.
But many concede that getting kids to strap on a helmet is tough.
Winifred Higgins, of Calimesa, Calif., said she often has to remind her 11-year-old great-granddaughter to wear headgear.
"She does not like to wear a helmet, so often we have some serious discussions," Higgins said.
Higgins said it's not the first time she's had to persuade relatives to wear helmets.
"When California made it mandatory for motorcyclists to wear them, I thought it was a great idea," Higgins said. "My younger brother and son-in-law, both bike riders, detested the idea at that time."
Helmet use among bicyclists has risen in California for the past 15 years, especially after high-profile education campaigns and a 2002 law requiring helmet use by youngsters.
In Pittsburg, Calif., for example, helmet giveaways, education and a city law were credited with increasing helmet use from 22 percent in 1994 to 72 percent in 1997.
The California law also covers skateboard and scooter riders, requiring helmet use by anyone younger than 18. But enforcement is limited to public places, so riders on private property are on their own.
Dave Hamilton, general manager of Hangar 18 Climbing Gyms, said rock climbers wear helmets to protect from falling rocks, or bumping their heads.
But helmets can do very little for rock climbers when it comes to falling, he said.
"Simply put, while a helmet is always a good idea to use outdoors, it will generally do relatively little for a climber from hitting the ground from 70 feet up," Hamilton said.
Curtis Woodrow "Woody" Stark, 67, of Riverside, a well-known and respected Southern California rock climber, died March 15 after falling during a climb in Joshua Tree National Park. Stark was not wearing a helmet.
Most indoor climbing gyms offer free use of helmets to climbers. Use of them is mixed, Hamilton said.
Skiers are also divided on helmet use, says the National Ski Areas Association, an industry group representing resorts. The agency's 2007-08 survey of skiers found that 43 percent of respondents wore helmets, up from 25 percent in 2002-03.
Helmet use is encouraged at ski slopes, but not required, workers said.
Awareness of head injuries has increased since Richardson's death on March 18, said Phyllis Agran, a pediatrics professor at the University of California-Irvine and researcher at the school's Center for Trauma and Injury Prevention Research.
"Unfortunately, it often takes a tragedy to open discussion and change safety practices," she said.
What is concerning is the significant damage that can be done after falls that don't look severe, she said. Agran recalled a football player she treated early in her career in the 1970s after he took a blow to the head.
"He got up, walked off the field and later collapsed," she said.
Since then, Agran added, helmets have become much more effective because of technological advancements.
Phil Jenkins, head of the California State Parks Department's Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division, said he believes enthusiasts of sports such as skateboarding and skiing are learning more about helmet safety. Emulating popular athletes in the sports is one factor, he said.
"They watch their heroes," Jenkins said of skateboarders and others. "The professionals: those guys are wearing the helmets and there is that cool factor that you get, modeling the good behavior."
(Reach Dug Begley at dbegley(at)PE.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, Calif.
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