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Uploaded: Friday, October 19, 2012, 11:37 AM
Updated: Wednesday, October 24, 2012, 7:28 AM
Pleasanton police cracking down on cyclists violating bike helmet laws affecting those under 18
Campaign started Thursday to enforce state law mandating helmets for young cyclists
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by Glenn Wohltmann
Pleasanton Weekly Staff
Pleasanton students riding bicycles without wearing helmets can expect to get pulled over by police and could be issued courtesy citations.
Police said there has been a noticeable trend of students failing or improperly wearing helmets while riding bikes, scooters, skateboards, or in-line roller blades to school and on the weekends.
California state law requires that anyone under 18 years old must wear a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet while riding one of these, police said.
"In an effort to improve safety, build relationships with our youth and educate our youthful bicyclists, Pleasanton officers will be stopping students who are riding to or from school and are improperly or not wearing their helmets," police said in a press release. "During this time in lieu of citations, officers will be issuing courtesy citations and educating our students."
Police began issuing courtesy citations Thursday. A department spokesman said they will continue at least through the end of 2012, when a decision will be made whether to issue actual tickets.
The California Vehicle Code states a second offense for riding without a helmet or with an unsecured helmet is punishable by a fine of up to $25.
The release notes that the police and the school district are working together to ensure the safety of students.
"This is especially true of students in the middle schools, since they have the highest concentration of bike riders," the release states.
It adds that the department "has a long standing tradition of traffic safety initiatives that work to prevent injuries to motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians. Our most effective tool however is public awareness, education and community cooperation."
More information regarding bike safety and other related local information for bicyclists, is available here.Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by William Tell, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Oct 23, 2012 at 10:17 am As much as I hate the nanny state spirit of this law, kudos to police for going about it the right way with warnings instead of trying to fleece kids for money. Pleasanton police deserve a lot of respect.
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Posted by Sam, a resident of the Oak Hill neighborhood, on Oct 23, 2012 at 10:27 am A rare agreement with William Tell on this one. I don't like the somewhat nanny state nature of the law either, but since it's restricted to kids (those under 18) I'm fine with it. Also, I like the fact that the Pleasanton Police is working with the community on this.
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Posted by Suzie, a resident of the Downtown neighborhood, on Oct 24, 2012 at 12:37 pm Great-now if they only do something about all the bike riders that run red lights and stop signs.
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Posted by Ennis, a resident of the Pleasanton Valley neighborhood, on Oct 24, 2012 at 12:54 pm The missing component in this are the parents. Not sure why they aren't enforcing this with their kids. Bike, scooter, or skateboard -no helmet, un-clipped helmet that will fall off, or a poorly fitting helmet that gets pushed back over the head on impact -few kids actually wear a helmet that fits or wear it properly. It's not just PPD responsibility, it's parents as well. Wonder if PPD will stop by the skate area at the Sports Park?
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Posted by Kids' police blotter , a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Oct 24, 2012 at 1:37 pm Yep, I'm sure having kids pulled over by the police and embarrassed in front of their peers at school will "build relationships with our youth." Nice.
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