Kullen sponsors ATV helmet bill

Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2007

‘‘ATV’s are just an accident waiting to happen and considering an out-and-out ban on ATV’s is not practical, a helmet law is more palatable,” said Del. Sue Kullen, the bill’s lead House sponsor.

The legislation came at the request of Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

‘‘It’s a preventable cause of head trauma. That’s really what’s driving the legislation,” said Dr. Joseph Wright, an emergency physician at Children’s National Medical Center.

Wright, who also serves as executive director of the hospital’s Child Health Advocacy Institute, said 24 states already have helmet requirements for children.

Several other states require helmets for all ATV riders. Advocates say it’s a safety measure, while opponents call it government interference.

‘‘It’s the quickest fix to the problem and it’s not unprecedented,” Kullen said. ‘‘... Sometimes, government has to be the bad guy.”

ATV accidents are the No. 1 cause of head injuries among children in Southern Maryland, Kullen (D-Calvert) said. Mandating helmet use will help to prevent serious injury.

‘‘When you look at an ATV and how they’re constructed, these are huge gross-weight vehicles and kids are ... just getting crushed by these things,” she said.

In Maryland, children less than the age of 12 are prohibited from operating or riding on ATV’s, but no helmet law exists.

The focus on protecting children is due to their greater risk of head trauma, Wright said. When children fall or are thrown from a motorized vehicle, they tend to lead with their heads because their weight is top-heavy.

‘‘It’s almost like tossing a lawn dart. As soon as it gets enough height, it heads to the ground with the weighted end down,” he said.

Although Kullen is pushing the legislation on behalf of the D.C. hospital, Wright said child head trauma is a concern in rural areas throughout Maryland.

Kullen said the legislation will likely be amended to exempt mandatory helmet use on farms.

Twenty other delegates have signed on to the bill as co-sponsors.

Montgomery County Sen. Jennie M. Forehand (D) has sponsored an identical bill in her chamber.

E-mail Alan Brody at abrody@somdnews.com.