NOW would be a good time to stress the importance of wearing a helmet, now matter how old a person is. I see adults riding bicycles wearing helmets all the time, so it is NOT being a "sissy" to wear one. If I had a teenager, I would have made him attend this funeral, just so he could see how a death affects the family and friends of ANY person.

While Tyler's death is very tragic and heartbreaking, I think it is the job of the individual and parents to provide for the child's safety. I am sure the police have better things to do. If the police are bored, I suppose they can say something, but I don't think writing tickets is the answer.

It needs to be mandatory! I see many kids ridding or skating down the street with their helmets clipped to their backpacks.
I had a close family friend playing with his granddaughter ridding on HER bike and he accidentally fell backwards hit his head on the curb and died.
My kids have made it a point to tell other kids at the park or ridding by that they need to put on their helmet. Police need to inforce this law. Parents may not even know their kids aren't wearing them.

And I want to add it doesn't have to be a fine or a money maker for the police, it has to bring awareness to the parents that their kids are NOT wearing their helmets. I know if I got a report from the police that my kids were not wearing their helmets, there would be some sort of major punishment.

If the citation is a fine, the parents probably foot the bill. The kid get no consequence. It might be better that they can feel it such as keeping them a few hours at the station untill the parents can pick them up. Better yet, send them to ride with the paramedics or to the ER to help out a day. They sure can weight between being cool and being safe.

I certainly don't think we should criminalize not wearing helmets but there should be some way to get kids to realize that getting in an accident without one can be tragic. I wonder how many of the skaters who knew Tyler will think about this. I hope they do for their own sakes as well as their families.

I have been greatly affected by Tyler's death, and for the tragedy for those left behind: his family, and the family of the driver. His bad choices have affected many others. I'm sure he didn't think of that, but it's true. Only if the helmet law is enforced will people start wearing them a lot. It was the same with drinking and driving and smoking. This law saves lives. There is no question. Ask any ER doctor or EMT. Cultural changes are slow, but events like this can lead to progress on this front. Don't let Tyler's death be meaningless. Wear a helmet. Proceed with caution.

I've often wondered why helmets can't somehow become a cool accoutrement, with zappy designs, personalized tags, messages, celebrity endorsements (Hair Jordans?) and the like. And I've often thought I should wear a helmet every time I leave my house, regardless of whether I'm walking, driving, biking, or sitting on a sidewalk bench.

I think helmets aren't the issue, riding in the street is. I didn't know skateboards and scooters aren't supposed to be in the street unless they are carefully crossing it at the corner like a pedestrian. Police need to spread the word on this, not worry about helmets.

No. It should be up to the kids and or their parents. Also anyone riding a skate board or bikes should wear bright color clothes, lights at night and reflectors. Also they should obey all traffic laws ,just like driving a car.

I was hit by a car when I was 14 years old back in the early 1970's. My head went right into the windshield. There were no bike helmets then. I was lucky, just a bad concussion. Well a broken leg but a helmet wouldn't have helped. But legs heal, not so much your head. I still get Labyrinthitis (dizzy spells) from the accident. I am a BIG supported of bike helmets. My daughters are good about wearing theirs for riding their bikes and scooters. After my younger daughter almost hit a tree trunk on a snow trip, we now wear them sledding. Parents, neighbors, friends all need to reinforce helmet use. It needs to be a village approach more than a Police enforcement. Protect your head!

I think the police should enforce the law. Enough with the spirit of the law. Not sure if this would have save Tyler but it might save someone else. This is very sad to have a young man just really starting out his life have it cut short. I do have some concers that some people are failiing to see that Tyler (unless he had special needs) should have known that, You don't skate on a dark street I am sure he was picking up lots of speed going down Marin. And helmets save lives, cool or uncool they work. With that being said I know young adults brains are not fully developed and that is why they make bad decision and paretns/comunitty member/police need to help enforce the helmet law. If kids start now wearing it then there is a good chance it will become a habit for them as they get older. I have to say I was really sadden by this. I have been following this on patch and I looked into writing something on his FB and I have been to the vigil site. I have to say that from what i heard and saw this tyler used pot and drank did this have anything to do with with inability to get off the board? was he DWI on a board? Nothing at this point can bring him back but I hope this will scared the other kids to at lease wear a helment.

I think the emotion of the driver who was involved in the accident must be devastated for a very long time.

I think ALL LAWS should be enforced. i.e. "No Smoking on Solano." Last week, someone who was wanted was arrested because the officer asked for i.d. when he saw the person smoking in a prohibeted area.
Police don't always have to issue a summons, but at least warning people will deter scofflaws.

What if the police picked one unannounced day every month to enforce the helmet law? If you get a ticket, pay it or have it waived by attending a presentation from a victim or victim's relative.

Fining kids obviously isn't the answer. And it's not even a matter of citing them--unless there's follow-up, they won't care. The only thing that will work is a) having skating privileges taken away, and b) knowing that there are eyes everywhere. As for the first part, that means the police should be empowered to act a bit like parents--take the kids' names and numbers, confiscate their boards, call their parents to let them know, and tell the offenders they can pick up their boards at the station the FOLLOWING DAY (that day without skating is critical) provided they have helmets with them.

As for the second part, this gets back to the village/community aspect. Parents can only do so much without tying their children to their homes. Police enforcement is needed. Skate parks need to be an oasis where helmet laws are strictly enforced. Schools need to be involved--through persistent messaging and possibly requiring that boards be checked-in (not carried to class) and then checked out at the end of the day provided the student has a helmet at the time of pick-up. But perhaps the most important player in all of this is the industry. Skateboarding retailers and the companies that make skateboards and clothing and videos--the same companies who sponsor professional "street" skaters--should be mandated to promote helmet compliance as being "cool." (And retailers such as Berkeley's 510 shop should be required to actually sell helmets!)

Enforcement of laws is one thing, but counting on the police to punish kids is another. And let's also not forget that Tyler was an adult, old enough to serve in the military and vote.
Parents can take away skateboards, cell phones, or anything else the kid cherishes. Kids can be grounded. If they receive an allowance, that can be taken away. And, there are even parents who use corporal punishment.
Take responsibility for raising your kids. Dangerous skateboarding is only one of the many challenges in keeping kids safe.

If it is the law, and the police witness the infraction(?) then they have the option of issuing a warning, or a citation, to the rider/skater.

Once you are above the legal age, it is then your choice...at least on a skateboard...

Harley riders don't have a choice; if it doesn't say 'DOT', you will get cited when you get stopped.

I try to teach my kid to make good decisions be safe. Does she? Most the time she does. I know me and other skateboarders don't really like to conform. Skateboarding is dangerous that is part of the fun. Should kids , people wear their helmets? Yes. Will they no.
So many people have so much to say about something they don't do.
It is your choice how do you feel about it? Are you safe?
Enforcement has a grey area just like bikes and cars too.
It really seems to be a parent child thing more than cops and courts..
A car is not match for any helmet .

I saw two teens, who looked to be about 15 years old, wearing helmets while skateboarding down the sidewalk on Washington Avenue around 4:40 p.m. yesterday, about a block from Albany High. I wondered if the helmets were in response to the tragedy on Marin Ave.

As an aside, I recalled something about the local Fire Department having a helmet sales program some time in the past... here's where it stands now, courtesy of Brian J. Crudo, Battalion Chief, Albany Fire Department:

"The Albany Fire Department still has the bicycle helmet program.
Currently we have 21 helmets of various sizes in stock. The price is
still $8 per helmet."

I am confused, based on the CA vehicle code, because he was on a skateboard he was a pedestrian. If he were on a bicycle would he have been considered something else? Either, or, would the same accident not have occurred? The tragedy here is that we give automobiles the benefit of the doubt. Were it not for a 3000lb steel object moving faster than the fastest person on earth, barreling down the street, this wouldn't have happened. Until people value the lives cars have taken over the utility cars bring to our lives, situations like this will continue to happen. It may sound callous but unfortunate death is part of every day life throughout the world. For those who are calling on police to enforce helmet laws on minors, should we not also enforce helmet laws on seniors who may also take a fatal fall on public sidewalks?

To quote William Ross Wallace,
“Every man dies - Not every man really lives.”

For Tyler, he died doing something he loved to do. Can you say the same?

Today I saw three young lads (age maybe 11 or 12) on skateboards on Kains. None wore helmets, although one did have a helmet clipped to his backpack. They went south towards Marin and then came back towards Solano and were in the middle of the road all the time.
Are we like Estragon, in "Waiting for Godot, muttering, "Nothing to be done?" As we wait for the next accident?

@ Matt unless you read something , somewhere different Tyler death was cause by him. Not a car speeding on Marin. He was in the street on a dark night and without a helmet. I don't know if a helmet would have save him but it damn would have gave him a better chance. He was being young and dumb. If you think about the area and the time it is close to impossible for the driver to have seen him shoot out and be able to stop in time. Remember he had no lights on. This accident could have been avoided if he had follow the rules. Maybe had the police issue ticket when he was young (by his mother own words he never wore a helmet) He would have been use to it by now. 18 is not a little kid anymore. He had to have enough smarts to know better. He made a choice a choice that cost him his life. A choice that cause the ones that love him so much unnecessary pain. I feel bad for his parents. I am skeptical that much will come from this. Give it a week and things will die down,

@Vox
"And I'm not sure someone who has a death wish is really living, and at whose expense."
Wow.

Cite 'em and confiscate their skateboard. Return it when the parents show up with the rider wearing his helmet.

Any punishment has to hurt to work. "Warnings" do nothing. People learn when it stings. Raise the fine until it hurts the responsible party, rider or parent.

And cops need to get out of their cars and treat traffic citations as a seriously effective way to correct bad social behavior. Being a citizen on public roads in any way is the greatest at-risk group interaction citizens have.. for cops to cruise around in their cars all day and pick which laws they feel like enforcing today and which laws they blow off is not only lazy but it breaks the covenant made with the public to provide protection and service. WE give the cops this authority, not their Sergeant or their Lieutenant or their Chief. If you people can't hack doing your job, cash it in and move on. We need you OUT there pro-actively working, not zipping around your beats with the tinted windows rolled up.

Cops are public servants that enforce laws. Why should helmet laws being any different? " To -Protect- and to Serve"

Hundreds of thousands of dollars are wasted on easily preventable incidents with EMS response every year. This is one of them.

Something along the line of enforcement should proceed as follows...

-Written warning
-Parents notified
-Small fine
-Parents fined
-Big fine
-Parents fined (again)
-Community Service
-Parents ________ (insert punishment)

It's up to the police to enforce this, but it's up to parents to educate their kids. Too often society says its ok for someone else to take responsibility for a minor or to divert blame to someone else. If you took the time to make a chile, then you can also take the time to help educate him/her too. It's not just about wearing a helmet. It's about prolonging a quality of life.

However a state or federal grant should be made for getting mainstream, well designed helmets available to all kids. Being "cool" is a big part of growing up, and this is the number one reason why kids don't wear them.

With this helmet they should get a pamphlet of sort that shows in details preventable injuries/death complete with pictures.
If HIPPA wasn't in place I would take and submit my own.

-M EMT, CPT-1, Fire Cadet

The OP "original post' here is "helmet law" - centric. Tyler, for whom the helmet law DOES NOT apply (he was 18), and the circumstances (struck in a cross-walk, in Berkeley), did suffer from head injuries; ...whether a helmet would have helped is MOOT for this thread, in which the question is: "Should the police enforce helmet laws."
The helmet laws are strictly defined by State Law, and are 'DIFFICULT' to enforce as, for each citation, the City of Albany would collect $ 6.25 and spend $200.00+ !! (This is in the MINIMAL cost of time for the City, and fees to Berkeley Courts to deal with the Citation; Albany has no Court).
If you wish to see enforcement of the helmet law then suggest/support a City ordinance that would make more sense than the State Law; one that requires, for example (already suggested) the 'fix it' provision of the 'kid/parent/helmet' presenting themselves for sign-off of same.
But yes; it does seem absurd that adults do not have the helmet law applied to them... our skulls are VERY fragile too. But then, we see exhibition ice-skaters without helmets... and should snowboarders be aligned with skiers... you see the burgeoning repercussions here.

Or instead of taking a punishment view and giving them a ticket for not wearing a helmet, why can't they be acknowledged when they are wearing a helmet? It wouldn't take that much effort to stop a kid who is wearing a helmet and give them some sort of reward, or even a family who's parents are also wearing helmets. Maybe a local business or organization could donate coupons/vouchers and the kid could redeem it later. (ice cream, pencil/eraser, a candy, etc.) I am sure once the message spreads that if you get caught wearing you helmet, there is a reward or surprise involved you would see more kids wearing them. It seems to me, a little work from a few volunteers would be all the Police Department needed to get this going.
I understand the "cool factor" I have 4 kids of my own. However, they do know from first hand experience that helmets do save lives. It saved their brother.

It seems like a city owned skate park where helmet laws are not enforced is a big risk for a city to take on.
What if the police enforced the helmet law by writing a citation, confiscating the board and holding it until the parents or owner shows up to claim it. The fine would be having to by a helmet from the police. Once a parent or rider has bought a dozen or so helmets they should be smart enough to wear one of them. Or not.

1st offense fine the parents! then they'll buy their kids helmets,
2nd offense fine the kids themselves payable by community service or money
3rd offense revoke their permission to ride, they must walk or get a ride in a car or take a bus

also, positive reinforcement! reward those who are "caught being good"!