Litigation

The best cure for a traumatic brain injury is prevention.  For many years I have addvocated mandatory requirements for helmet use while skiing.  In a recent editorial the Denver Post has joined the call for mandatory ski helmet use in children.

I have reproduced the editorial below from the September 3rd issue of the Denver Post:

Ski season will soon be upon us, and with it concerns about safety on the slopes.

In the past, we have urged skiers and snowboarders to wear helmets while they traverse Colorado's mountains, and we reiterate that. It's a wise precaution that really isn't an imposition or a detraction from the experience.

But we also think resort areas could take the lead by requiring all children under 18 to wear helmets on the slopes.

The big operators already make that a requirement for children taking lessons. Why not extend that to all children on the mountain?

A recent story on the topic by Denver Post reporter Jason Blevins cited two states that soon will be enacting laws requiring children to wear helmets. A third state is considering a law requiring helmet use for all skiers and riders.

No such laws are being proposed here, and many children already wear helmets. But we think the resorts would serve themselves well by taking this step before a state legislator pitches a helmet law.

The Post story cited a study published this year in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in which researchers concluded head injury risk among skiers fell by 35 percent with helmet use.

That's a significant number, and one that ought to make skiers and riders take notice.

The Post story also said about 90 percent of children under the age of 9 are wearing helmets on the slope, and that's a good statistic as well.

We think if the state's ski areas banded together and decided to require helmets for those under 18, the move would make the slopes safer.

A helmet requirement would not be much different from other safety regulations that riders and skiers encounter, such as low-speed zones and out-of-bounds areas.

Those are designed to keep snow enthusiasts safe, as would helmet use.

And while we think it's a good resort-based rule for children, we aren't ready to suggest that ski operators require adults to wear helmets. We think adults should do so on their own.

A rule specifically for children recognizes that they lack the perspective and life experience to accurately assess the dangers posed by riding without head protection. If resorts were to make helmets for kids a requirement, there would be no rationale for legislation, or for the state to get involved in resort business.

Enforcement for resorts would be simple enough ? no helmet, no lift access. Checking for helmets would be easier than scanning lift passes.

Colorado ski resorts have long displayed an abiding interest in safety, and a rule requiring helmets for children would be another example of that commitment.