>>>I sometimes wonder how my generation managed to make it to adulthood without all the rules and regs.
>>
>>Just keep in mind that we didn't all make it to adulthood. That's the perspective you need whether you're talking about bike helmets, child car seats or child labor laws.
>>
>>Kids have always died in childhood, some from things we can't prevent, and some from things we can. As a society, we decide what our tolerance is for the latter.
>
>>Tamar
>
>At what cost and for what benefit?

And that's exactly what we should ask. Of course, for most of us, if the child whose life is saved is one we know, we're likely to argue that no cost is too much.

Tamar

>Too often legislation is passed, all too often as a knee-jerk reaction following some horrific story, to make us "safer", only to later discover the unintended consequences are worse or at best no better than before.
>
>Helmet laws are a perfect example. Studies show a lower rate of deaths since helmet laws are in place. Other studies also show that helmet laws discourage riding and increase risk taking. The former results in less healthy activity and the later results in more injuries. Does the gain outweigh the loss? This says nothing of the invasive nature of the law upon liberty nor the uninteded consequences. Facemasks reduce face injury so they should be mandated next. What about knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards etc?
>
>Child deaths (15 and under) on bicycles in 2000 were 178 and in 2009 they had fallen to 85. Wonderful. Thus we have removed the parents involvement in this aspect of their childs' lives to prevent the deaths of .00014% of the US children's population (~66000000).
>http://www.helmets.org/stats.htm
>http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811386.pdf
>
>Mind you what is going on with the legislation I posted is not knee-jerk nor unintended. The regs are being deliberately vaguely written so as to apply to the maximum possible persons, including but not limited to the eventual disintrigation of FFA and 4H programs.