He had crossed the street at a place other then the crosswalk. According to the Wisconsin Statues, every bicyclist crossing a road at any point other than within a marked or unmarked crosswalk shall yield the right-of-way to vehicles upon the road. Had this boy known that perhaps he would have taken the time to pause and look before trying to cross the street.
Everyday about a thousand children end up in hospital emergency rooms with injuries from bicycle accidents and everyday one of those children dies of these injuries. Others suffer lifetime problems, like limping or brain damage. Bicycle helmets have been shown to reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85% and the risk of brain injury by 88%. It is estimated that 75% of bicycle related fatalities among children could have been prevented if they had been wearing a bicycle helmet. .
If helmets are such a good idea why aren't more people using them? Well, according to the Bicycle Helmet and Safety Institute, child helmet ownership and use increases with family income and educational level, yet decrease with age. Furthermore, children are more likely to wear a helmet if their friends and parents are also wearing them. The solution then would be to create a law saying that wearing a helmet is mandatory for people of all ages. While some states have put these laws in place, not all have. According to the State Legislative Fact Sheet of January 2001, the bicycle and motorcycle regulations vary from state to state. Most regulations are dependant on age. In both Pennsylvania and Tennesse, children under the age of 12 are required to wear a bicycle helmet while riding. California requires those under the age of 18 to wear helmets. In all, seventeen states and the District of Columbia have helmet laws applying to young bicyclists; none of these laws apply to all riders. There are several local ordinances in a few states that do require all riders to wear a helmet.