Columnist Susan Snyder: At what cost to save a life

Friday, March 30, 2001 | 3:33 a.m.

Susan Snyder's column also appears Tuesdays and Fridays in the Las Vegas Sun. Reach her at snyder@lasvegassun.com or 259-4082.

Your kid won't die without a personal computer.

Your kid won't die without a Game Boy.

Your kid won't die without a TV, DVD player or portable CD player.

You won't die if you have to skip that double-shot latte four mornings next week. Because for about the same amount of money, you can buy your kid a bicycle helmet and teach him to wear it properly.

And your kid won't die if he has to wear it. In fact, he'll up his chances of seeing another Christmas by more than 80 percent.

Undoubtedly some readers -- a couple of editors included -- are tired of seeing stuff about bicycle helmets in this column.

I'm tired, too. I'm tired of seeing press releases like the one that rolled into the newsroom Thursday morning from Metro.

It told of a 12-year-old boy who was struck and killed Wednesday afternoon as he pedaled his BMX bike across West Charleston Boulevard near Hinson Street.

Police say the child was moving with a group of pedestrians -- all of whom were crossing against the red light and the "Don't Walk" signal facing them.

It is tragic that this child either didn't know what the signal meant, or chose not to follow it because no one else did. Peer pressure is a powerful thing, and so is following the example of adults, even when they're wrong.

The pedestrians saw it and stopped for the 1992 Hyundai. But the child bicyclist didn't see it, and the Hyundai driver couldn't stop in time.

"The primary cause of the collision appears to be failure to obey (a) traffic control device on the part of the pedal cyclist," the release said.

No charges were filed, and it remains under investigation. But the results won't change: A child is dead. A family grieves. A motorist will never be the same.

One thing that might have altered those results was a bicycle helmet, said Metro Det. Steve Winne, who investigated the crash. Even a child who darts into traffic, as children often do, has a better chance of survival if he's wearing an approved bicycle helmet.

"Let's put it this way, the injuries other than ones to the head appeared to be survivable," Winne said.

The child rolled onto the hood of the car, rolled off again and hit his head on the pavement, where he suffered massive head injuries, Winne said.

"He definitely was not wearing a helmet," the detective said. "He had several fractures to the skull, and that's the reason why."

This is not about blaming anyone. It's about making choices and taking measures before all you're left with is trying to figure out who to blame and how to go on.

A bicycle helmet tested and approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission costs less than the newest Disney DVD. You can get one next time you're at Target or Wal-Mart.

They're cheap enough to buy two -- one for your kid and one for his best friend. Peer pressure is powerful. If every kid wears one, every kid will want one. Helmets should be worn snug, level and securely fastened.

Your kid won't die without Sketchers. Spend the money on something that will help him outgrow them instead.