there not skateparks...they are skate PLAZAS...therefore the cops..

[gorillabiscuits]

If there is a state/city run skate park without those laws, I've sure as hell never heard of them.

And I don't believe in laws mandating safety measures for adults. I ride motorcycles. I don't think there should be helmet laws for adults. I'd still wear one. You don't want to? I don't give a ####. It's your brain, not mine.

However, you can't expect the government to risk losing millions of dollars (and closing all the parks) because people are too stupid to wear a helmet. Pads, I'm kinda of eh about. But if it allows there to be skate parks for YOU to skate in, then stop bitching and wear the gear.

two skateparks near me were built by the city, even one of them is fenced, and both dont require helmets. go figure.

[EmptiMind]

ah seatbelts on a airplane, makes no sense to me.

They're for updrafts and downdrafts (air pockets). You can jump or fall hundreds or thousands of feet in these. You could very easily hit the ceiling and break your neck or give yourself a concussion. Seat belts matter.

Also, just wear your helmet, seriously.

Can't afford one? No problem.
http://www.theiantilmannfoundation.org/index2.html

[Gearfire]

If there is a state/city run skate park without those laws, I've sure as hell never heard of them.

And I don't believe in laws mandating safety measures for adults. I ride motorcycles. I don't think there should be helmet laws for adults. I'd still wear one. You don't want to? I don't give a ####. It's your brain, not mine.

However, you can't expect the government to risk losing millions of dollars (and closing all the parks) because people are too stupid to wear a helmet. Pads, I'm kinda of eh about. But if it allows there to be skate parks for YOU to skate in, then stop bitching and wear the gear.

Therein lies the problem... We shouldn't lose freedoms just to make a roundabout and make sure people can't take advantage of the system. People argue this and that, and yes it's stupid not to wear one but it's a matter of principle that can carry over into other realms and be the gateway to restricting other freedoms. See, no one points out that being able to sue over getting hurt in a skatepark is being supported right in the middle of all the stupidity.

Last I heard, nowhere else in the world can you sue for anything like you can in America.

[Wells]

Facts are bothersome things. Claims myth fuels fear of building skateboarding parks

[Wells]

[EmptiMind]

I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT....

So many people participate in basketball...

[OldSkateGuy]

F**k mandatory helmets and pads. Football is like three times as dangerous per hour of activity. They don't need pad nannies at the football field, so why mandate them for skateboarding?

Of course football has "pad nannies", they're just called coaches/referees.

[Wells]

Of course football has "pad nannies", they're just called coaches/referees.

I can go out with my friends and play football, sans pads, on a municipal football field without fear of getting a ticket. Organized contests taking place on said field may require safety gear; but use of the facility doesn't require safety gear. That's all I want for skateboarding.

[VampMN]

Therein lies the problem... We shouldn't lose freedoms just to make a roundabout and make sure people can't take advantage of the system. People argue this and that, and yes it's stupid not to wear one but it's a matter of principle that can carry over into other realms and be the gateway to restricting other freedoms. See, no one points out that being able to sue over getting hurt in a skatepark is being supported right in the middle of all the stupidity.

Last I heard, nowhere else in the world can you sue for anything like you can in America.

Being able to sue isn't supported, it's feared. I think that's the whole problem. Should adults have to wear pads/helmets? Nope. Will they have to? Yep.

[Viebster]

YouTube - Toyota safety commercial with a Sam...

This is what we should wear everywhere we go. So if we trip over a rock we will be ok!

Wear a helmet

...

Or don't wear a helmet.

These threads get no where, ever.

/Thread

[OldSkateGuy]

I can go out with my friends and play football, sans pads, on a municipal football field without fear of getting a ticket. Organized contests taking place on said field may require safety gear; but use of the facility doesn't require safety gear. That's all I want for skateboarding.

My mistake I thought you were referring to organized football (Pop Warner, High School, College, etc.). Thanks for clarifying.

[Brian Holden]

They should quit making bowls sooo deep!

Stuck in Skate Bowl - CollegeHumor video

[EmptiMind]

Super fail... Fat kids are funny.

[-Mu-]

Dear helmet nazis,

You're missing the point. This thread isn't about whether or not kids should wear helmets.

I'mma let that sink in for a minute...
The point is, that towns are often unwilling to build a skatepark, because the law forces them to go to considerable expense to enforce the pad/helmet laws. And they know there will always be kids that skate without pads/helmets, and that the city will be held liable if anything happens. This little legal loophole (if it stands up) removes a very large burden from the city, which makes it much more likely that the city will actually build something in the first place.

Tell you what. Let the city build the thing, and then, AFTER it's built, you can go on your helmet crusade. Please?

Honestly though, it's not going to hold up. The laws that exist for ass covering on "parks" are still there for ass covering. If some kid gets hurt their parents will probably have a fit and they'll wish they hadn't skipped on making sure ONE GUY was there to make sure helmets were on. Call them/us nazis if you want, whatever floats your boat, but it only takes one bad fall to ruin your life, and one ####### helmet could take that risk out. I don't think there's a reason to NOT wear a helmet.

[msk]

Laws aren't needed for people to wear helmets, if they want to, they will... It's not a law to wear a helmet while riding a bicycle (in all the states i know of, including CA) for an adult.

There also isn't any law requiring adults to wear a helmet while skating in California. I'm free to not wear a helmet while skating anywhere in the 99.99% of California that is not a skatepark.

one day, you ignorant little kids will grow up and find out that it's not best to have the government mandate every little aspect of your life, especially when it doesn't harm society.

The government isn't mandating "every little aspect of our lives" in this situation. You're free to not wear a helmet while skating anywhere you want, with the exception of that little patch of ground that the city provided, the construction of which exposes them to a greater chance of getting sued. But I guess it isn't fair that the city does us a big favor (by building a park), and then asks for a small favor (wearing helmets while using it) in return...

The question that needs to be asked from this chart is, how was the information gathered? Are the same percentage of injuries that occur from skating being reported that are reported from other sports? Just based on personal experience and observation, my guess is no.

At least where I live, kids generally don't play baseball or football on their own, only in organized leagues, or at school. The baseball diamonds and football fields at the local parks are always empty, except for Little League/Pop Warner events. In these situations, its common for ALL injuries, no matter how minor, to be reported. I worked a few years in Parks & Rec, and we were required to keep a log of any and all incidents, for legal reasons. Kid stubbed his toe on the pool deck? That's an injury that gets reported. Whereas most skaters don't report, or get treatment for, the minor (and even the not-so-minor) stuff. If all the skate-related "injuries" along the lines of the minor stuff that we had to report were in the tally, my guess is that skating would rank #1. If the numbers shown here were really accurate, based on how many slams resulting in swellbows, road rash, sprains, etc that I see at skateparks, Little League must now be a bloodbath. But I've seen more actual injuries in a single day at a skatepark than I saw in 2 full seasons of playing Little League...

[Wells]

There also isn't any law requiring adults to wear a helmet while skating in California. I'm free to not wear a helmet while skating anywhere in the 99.99% of California that is not a skatepark.



The government isn't mandating "every little aspect of our lives" in this situation. You're free to not wear a helmet while skating anywhere you want, with the exception of that little patch of ground that the city provided, the construction of which exposes them to a greater chance of getting sued. But I guess it isn't fair that the city does us a big favor (by building a park), and then asks for a small favor (wearing helmets while using it) in return...



The question that needs to be asked from this chart is, how was the information gathered? Are the same percentage of injuries that occur from skating being reported that are reported from other sports? Just based on personal experience and observation, my guess is no.

At least where I live, kids generally don't play baseball or football on their own, only in organized leagues, or at school. The baseball diamonds and football fields at the local parks are always empty, except for Little League/Pop Warner events. In these situations, its common for ALL injuries, no matter how minor, to be reported. I worked a few years in Parks & Rec, and we were required to keep a log of any and all incidents, for legal reasons. Kid stubbed his toe on the pool deck? That's an injury that gets reported. Whereas most skaters don't report, or get treatment for, the minor (and even the not-so-minor) stuff. If all the skate-related "injuries" along the lines of the minor stuff that we had to report were in the tally, my guess is that skating would rank #1. If the numbers shown here were really accurate, based on how many slams resulting in swellbows, road rash, sprains, etc that I see at skateparks, Little League must now be a bloodbath. But I've seen more actual injuries in a single day at a skatepark than I saw in 2 full seasons of playing Little League...

Kids also spend a whole lot more time skateboarding than playing little league. The relevant metric is injuries per hour of activity.

That said, these threads are always retarded. Read the article I linked to. People don't actually sue over skatepark injuries very much at all.

[Barf]

... I don't think there's a reason to NOT wear a helmet.

But it's not about whether there's a reason not to wear a helmet. The point of the thread was not to discuss whether or not kids should wear their helmets. I think we have about 200 or so other threads where that IS the point.. this just isn't one of them.

The point is that this (if it holds up) gives us a way around the law. That makes it more attractive for the city to build parks. It means that taxpayers donn't have to pay for staff, or for police to patrol if it's an unstaffed park. It means that the police don't have to waste their time on the skatepark when they could be chasing bad guys or eating doghnuts. It means that the police will have fewer clashes with skaters, which means they'll hate us less, which has to be a good thing for skating as a whole.

But, for those that just can't let go of the safety crusade, I'll tell you what. Go back and replace every instance of "helmet" in this thread with "elbow pads". Because this loophole gets us around the pad law as well as helmets. Anybody want to crusade for elbow pads?

Look, helmets are good, OK? I wear one. I'd just like to see more parks, and fewer cops in them.

[WillJ]

But I guess it isn't fair that the city does us a big favor (by building a park), and then asks for a small favor (wearing helmets while using it) in return...

then why doesn't the city regulate what you can wear on basketball courts to prevent injuries, and on baseball fields, tennis courts, etc.... When you ride a bicycle in a state/local park, you're not required to wear protective gear. What's the difference?

they aren't doing me any more of a favor than people in those activities, in fact they're doing less as most skateparks are helped along greatly by fund-raisers BY SKATERS and grants, that can't be said for the vast majority of other sporting areas.. all the while my taxes go to more tennis courts and baseball fields that barely get used and have no regulation for casual use.


MSK in missing the point shocker

[msk]

then why doesn't the city regulate what you can wear on basketball courts to prevent injuries, and on baseball fields, tennis courts, etc.... When you ride a bicycle in a state/local park, you're not required to wear protective gear. What's the difference?

The difference, at least as far as California law goes, is that all of those activities are considered "Hazardous Recreational Activities" by the state, and as a result the city/county/state can't be held liable for injuries. The cities and counties are not requiring safety gear on baseball fields, tennis courts, etc, because the state doesn't require them to do so. Skateboarding is on the California HRA list, but with a condition, which is that any public skateboarding facility has to require helmets and pads. The cities currently have a choice: require helmets/pads, and not be held liable, or not require them, and foot the insurance bill all by themselves. What city is going to build a multi-million dollar skatepark, and then have to pay for multi-million dollar insurance policies, and then make the park free? But maybe you're right. Instead of us having to wear helmets as a condition for having public skateparks here in California, we'd be much better off without any parks at all until the state finally sees the error of its way and doesn't require the cities to require safety gear...

Don't like the situation as it is? Write to California state legislators to get the law changed. Until then, the law is what it is...

[skategeezer]

I have heard a NUMBER of stories about kids getting busted for not wearing pads....this seems draconian.

Helmets...at a skatepark - I say yes...
pads...I wear them...but I don't believe they should be enforced.

this issue is a bit like the smoking issue.

why, in the face of a huge amount data that smoking will kill you, do young people continue to take up smoking? Because smoking is positioned as something cool and rebellious.

the fact remains that there is a perception that helmets aren't cool.

if transworld or thrasher decided to print a few more shots of skaters wearing helmets, that might go a long way to change things...but this issue is complicated.

The reality is that it emphasis should be put on beginners ...According to the

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/093old.pdf

Skateboarders who have been skating
for less than a week suffer one-third of
the injuries; riders with a year or more of
experience have the next highest number of
injuries.
Injuries to first-time skateboarders
are, for the most part, due to falls. Experienced
riders mainly suffer injuries when
they fall after their skateboards strike rocks
and other irregularities in the riding surface

or when they attempt difficult stunts.