Mesa FD reminding bicyclists to wear helmets

MESA, Ariz. — With all the nice weather the Valley has been having, Mesa firefighters are worried that too many bike riders, including children, aren’t protecting
themselves.

Mesa Fire Captain Forrest Smith thinks going without a helmet is strange.

“We tend to protect our laptops and our iPads and our cell phones from being broken,” said Smith. “We have
to do the same thing when it comes to our heads [by] making sure we’re wearing the right gear to protect [them].”

Smith also said that when you’re riding a bike, you need to make sure that the clothing you’re wearing
can help people see you.

“I have to assume that somebody doesn’t see me
and that they’re out to hit me,” he said. “You have to wear something that’s highly visible for
drivers on the street.”

He said it is imperative that parents make sure their kids are wearing a helmet
and are fully protected when riding their bikes.

“Anything where you’re able to obtain any type of speed and the child’s not wearing their
helmet can result in that child having some type of traumatic brain injury as a result of
that child falling and hitting their head,” said Smith.

Smith said he sees too many people, especially kids, riding bikes without helmets, and that’s “a disaster
that could be waiting to happen.”