Photo illustration by Peter Caty/The Mirror

On May 5, 2008, a 14-year-old boy went for an after school bike ride by the beach in West Haven with his friend. This boy was crossing the street on his bike when an oncoming car crashed into him; he was pronounced dead before even making it to the hospital.

This young man was not wearing a helmet when he went out on his bike ride that day. Had he been wearing a helmet, it could have saved his life; at the very least, it would have gotten him to the hospital.

Obviously having this 14-year-old boy die so suddenly was a tragedy for his community. So, aside from that fact, what does this story have to do with us? In the past year, Fairfield has installed several new bicycle racks and encouraged students to ride their bikes around campus as part of the campus’ green initiative.

Many students have embraced the idea of biking on campus, making trips to and from class much easier, while also avoiding the pollution of cars or a campus shuttle. With the recent return of warmer weather, more and more students are making this choice, but most are not wearing helmets, putting their lives in danger.

I’m sure that in reading this, many students will think, “I’m not even riding on the street; this doesn’t affect me,” or, “I’m careful; I don’t need a helmet.” Unfortunately, this is just the attitude anyone who’s ever been in a bicycle accident has had.

We, at Fairfield, are finishing off our teen years or just beginning our twenties and are still just as vulnerable to accidents as anyone else.

On our campus, cars roll or speed through stop signs multiple times per day, take little notice of pedestrians, and are unlikely to notice bicycles shooting down the hill between the townhouses and the Kelley Center. Taking these facts into consideration, you can see that bike riders on campus constantly risk collisions with two-ton vehicles. If you are going to ride a bike, there is no excuse not to suck up your pride, risk tousling your hair a bit, and put on a helmet.

I know that wearing a helmet doesn’t seem like the coolest fashion statement, but sometimes matters of safety are a bit more important than fashion. I grew up wearing a helmet when riding my bike, as did all of my friends. I continue to wear a helmet when I ride my bike, but I’m not sure what happened to the safety rules everyone else learned as children. All I know is that a fourteen-year-old boy’s life could have been saved had he been wearing a helmet.

Hopefully this is enough to make the rest of the Fairfield community recognize the importance of bike safety.

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