(Here is a great Article by Michigan Personal Injury Lawyer Lawrence Buckfire. This article is applicable not only in Rhode Island but in every state)

Perhaps the most frustrating part of being a parent of a kid who rides a bike is that while you know how important it is for his safety to wear a helmet, your child does not seem to understand its relevance. The loss of 698 lives in bicycle/motor vehicle crashes in 2007, which makes it just under two people every day of the year in the U.S., is a terrible toll. 57% of those killed were between the ages of 5 and 44; 15% of those killed in 2007 were under age 16, 77% of those injured were between the ages of 5 and 44; 28% of those injured were under age 16. Let these alarming statistics scare you further.

Here are some tips and ideas which are aimed to get your child wear a bike helmet, EVERY TIME he takes his bike out on the road:

1.Start the helmet wearing habit as early as when they are riding tricycles. This can turn it into a life-time habit. This is also the time when you can teach them the link between wheeled vehicles, pavements and helmets.

2.Let them choose their helmet. If they are the ones who are going to wear it, let them decide what they want to wear. All you need to watch out for is that the helmet is comfortable, fits properly and is generally safe (CPSC sticker). Even if the helmet works out a bit expensive, you rather agree to this, provided they promise to wear it all the time.

3.If you too ride a bicycle, wear a helmet yourself. Kids learn from adults and you could be a role model for them in this regard. This would also show them how much protection the brain needs.

4.Talk to your child’s close friends and encourage them to wear helmets too. Peer pressure works like magic in such circumstances. Once your child sees others wearing helmet, his ‘need for inclusion’ would urge him to wear one too.

5.Teach your child regarding the importance of protecting his head; their bikes are their first ‘cars’; you love their independent decisions and value their intelligence; helmet use can protect them from grievous injuries, pain and even death.

6.Give your child a short course in bike safety, using popular guides like Teaching Your Child to Ride a Bicycle. This would show him that wearing helmets is not an arbitrary rule invented by his family. Remember, you child needs some safety instructions as well.

7.Show your child that even professional athletes like football and hockey players, baseball batsmen and racing car drivers wear helmets for their safety.

8.Take your child to bike racing events where every one is wearing a helmet. When he sees winners of such races wearing helmets, chances are that he would get convinced too.

9.Nothing works well with children better than rewards and recognition. Praise them openly for wearing helmets when he rides a bike.

10.Be firm and consistent in your demand for helmet use. If you budge once, they would quickly presume that they can get away from the rule of wearing a helmet when they take their bike out. Remain stubborn about helmet use and do not allow your kid to take his bike out, without a helmet on his head.

The above ten tips are aimed to make your task easier and make your child agree to wearing a helmet. Individuals injured in a Michigan bicycle accident do have legal rights and should contact a bicycle accident attorney immediately after the accident. This is important because you will want your Michigan bicycle accident attorney to take photographs and interview witnesses, and the longer you wait the harder it is to locate a witness.

Additionally, if you or you child are injured as a bicyclist in Michigan you will often have claims for personal injuries and can file Michigan No-Fault Insurance claims for medical expenses, lost wages, and other benefits, even if you did not own a vehicle or have a Michigan No-Fault Insurance policy . Often in Michigan many claims can be filed even in circumstances of hit and run accidents involving bikers.