Council Mulls Helmet Ordinance

The Vienna Town Council will open public comment at its Monday meeting as it considers an ordinance requiring all children under the age of 14 to wear a helmet on bikes and certain other two-wheeled vehicles.

The ordinance would put Vienna in line with Fairfax and Arlington Counties, which have helmet ordinances of their own. Virginia State Code includes a statute that gives localities power to adopt requirements for riders of bicycles age 14 or under, said Town Attorney Steve Briglia at a recent Town Council meeting

The ordinance would fall under the already-existing section of Vienna's code that prohibits other bicycle behavior, such as riding two or more abreast down a roadway or operating at a speed "greater than is reasonable and prudent."

Under the proposed ordinance, all children under 14 who are riders or passengers of bicycles, electric personal assistance mobility devices and electric power-assisted bicycles would be required to wear helmets on sidewalks, roadway, bike routes and public bicycle paths.

Those who don't would be slapped with a $25 fine. First-time violators would have that fee suspended, along with those violators who buy a helmet between the time of the violation and receiving the fine.

Skateboards would not be included under the ordinance, council said after resident John Runyon asked about hobby popular among many children and teens in Vienna. Briglia said skateboards weren't included in the enabling legislation from the state that allows them to create an ordinance, but it will allow the town to include other vehicles -- like Segways -- as they develop.

Several council members said the measure was long overdue. Laurie Cole, who first mentioned the issue to council weeks ago, said it is a critical safety issue; groups like the Friends of the W+OD recommend that all riders wear helmet regardless of age, she said.

It could also help give weight to parents whose older children may see their warning to wear a helmet as an empty threat, she said.

"[It will] enable parents who encounter resistance from their older kids to say, ‘It’s the law,'" Cole said.

The meeting begins at 8 p.m. Monday at Vienna Town Hall.