Minors would be required to wear helmets when riding skateboards on public property under two bills that continue to move through the Legislature.
Senate Bill 344 and its companion, House Bill 706, would require minors riding in public to wear a properly fitted and fastened helmet that’s been tested by a nationally recognized safety agency.
Although the two bills are almost identical, they would affect different age groups. SB 344 would apply to anyone under the age of 18, whereas HB 706 would require helmets only for riders younger than 16.
Both bills define a skateboard as a short, wheeled board that a person stands on to ride or perform tricks.
The Senate on Tuesday disagreed with changes the House made to SB 344, meaning the differences could be resolved in a joint House-Senate conference committee in
the final days of the legislative session.
HB 706, moving slightly slower, passed third reading in the Senate Tuesday and was returned to the House.
From 2009 to 2018, there were an estimated 100,201 emergency room visits across the country for head and face trauma related to skateboarding, according
to the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
Unlike California, New York and Oregon, Hawaii lacks laws mandating helmet use for minors.
Paula Kurashige submitted testimony in support of HB 705, sharing her personal tragedy of losing both her grandson and nephew to skateboard-related head injuries. Kurashige’s grandson, Kameron Steinhoff, was a star basketball player at Punahou School and was a member of the Hawai‘i Pacific University squad when he died in 2011.
“I have had 2 deaths in my family from riding skate board without helmet,” Kurashige wrote. She said she hopes to finally see Hawaii pass a law requiring helmets for children.
“I tried 3 times to pass a bill, but it was tabled, by legislators,” she wrote. “Please pass this bill HB 706 immediately.”
Suzanne Anderson, a friend of Kurashige’s, also submitted testimony in support of HB 706. “The helmet will save a beautiful life, and it would’ve saved the life of my friend, Paula Kurashige’s grandson,” she wrote.
Anderson said her own son, who was a few years younger than Steinhoff, “looked up to Kameron,
and would’ve been influenced by him had he worn
a Helmet.”
The two measures also got the support of the state Department of Transportation. “According to the National Library of Medicine, wearing a helmet while skateboarding reduces the risk of head injuries by up to 88 percent,” the DOT said in written testimony.
Ruth Love, an emergency room nurse for 35 years, submitted comments on
SB 344 urging legislators to include individuals of all ages in the bill and to consider how injuries — regardless of age — affect taxpayers.
“I wholeheartedly approve helmets for all skateboarding people,” Love wrote. “The taxpayers and state often end up paying for the long term care at home and in institutions for those with traumatic brain injuries.”
Lisa Dau, injury prevention coordinator for the Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition, supported HB 706 and SB 344 in her testimony. “By enacting this law, we can save lives, reduce medical costs, and promote responsible recreation,” Dau said.
Only two people submitted testimony opposing
SB 344, writing only “I strongly oppose.”
