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(EMAILWIRE.COM, May 17, 2012 ) Sarasota, FL - In a statement directed towards Florida’s Congressional senators and representatives today, Sarasota personal injury attorney Maria Gerber urged the legislators to introduce a bill that would establish a federal law enforcing bicycle helmet use among children and teens.
There are no federal laws requiring bicyclists to wear helmets. Currently, 21 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation requiring children and teenagers to wear helmets on bicycles. Most of these laws, including Florida’s, require helmets for children under the age of 16. In 2009, 630 bicyclists died in car accidents and 91 percent of them were not wearing helmets, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
As the weather permits and gasoline prices steadily climb, many will choose bicycles as their primary mode of transportation. This will likely lead to more bicycle injuries, Gerber said.
“Each year, thousands of children, while not wearing helmets, sustain serious brain injuries,” Gerber said. “A national law requiring children to wear helmets may save lives and prevent innumerable brain injuries. Fewer than half of the nation’s states have official laws requiring children to wear bicycle helmets, which could save children’s lives. That’s why I am urging our Florida senators and representatives to introduce a federal bicycle helmet law for the safety of our children. The time is now.”
A Florida native, Gerber is familiar with the challenges and obstacles faced by children and adults injured in the Sunshine State. Her main practice areas include auto accidents, boating accidents, children’s injuries, nursing home injuries and wrongful death. She served as a state prosecutor for four years before founding The Gerber Law Group, P.A. in 1998. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Florida Justice Association and the American Association for Justice.
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