Skiers and snowboarders, prepare to strap on your helmets

If a San Francisco senator has his way, Santa Claus might be sneaking lots of helmets under trees this holiday season.

Senate Bill 880, requiring all downhill skiers and snowboarders under age 18 to wear helmets or face a $25 fine, was recently passed by the Assembly and the Senate. It’ll now head to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk, to be signed into law or vetoed by Sept. 30.

“I think it would’ve saved me a whole lot of concussions and head injuries if I would’ve worn one when I was younger,” Shawn Brennan, manager of Powder and Sun gear shop in Victorville, said of the proposal.

That’s precisely why Senator Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, authored the bill, citing a national study by the Consumer Product Safety Commission that found more than 7,000 head injuries per year could be prevented or reduced in severity by the use of a helmet.

“It’s just smart to wear a helmet,” agreed Aaron Atkinson, a 29-year-old snowboarder who lives in Victorville and frequents Snow Summit in Big Bear during the winter.

Atkinson said he started strapping on the safety gear this last season, and was very glad he did when he took a hard fall on his last trip of the year and hit his head.

“I used to wear one skateboarding, too, because a head injury you can never come back from,” he said. “Who cares what you look like as long as you’re safe?”

While officials with Big Bear Mountain Resorts encourage riders to wear helmets, marketing director Chris Riddle said they don’t agree with government mandating their use.

“We’re not a proponent of added government regulation,” Riddle said, “and it seems like every time you turn around big brother is trying to tell you what to do.”

Riddle said SB 880 also lacks teeth, with no enforcement agency identified. Riddle said neither the sheriff’s department or the Forest Service will be patrolling to check for compliance, with resorts only required to put up signs notifying riders of the new law.

To read more about the possible helmet law, read the full story in Monday's Daily Press. To subscribe to the Daily Press in print or online, call (760) 241-7755, 1-800-553-2006 or click here.

Brooke Edwards may be reached at (760) 955-5358 or at bedwards@VVDailyPress.com.