Mandatory bike helmet bill clears Senate committee

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – Kentucky lawmakers could be on the verge of passing a bill requiring children, younger than 12, to wear helmets while bike riding.

Parents would face a warning, then a fine, if kids ‘failed’ to wear a helmet.

Heather Floyd spoke to the Senate Health and Welfare Committee Monday. Her son, T.J., suffered a traumatic brain injury after a bike accident. He wasn’t wearing a helmet.

“You know, when you leave the hospital, they talk about a new normal, and that’s really hard to comprehend and honestly, it takes years, and it took his independent future which he’s still fighting for to this day with basic life skills,” said Floyd.

The bill is sponsored by Representative Regina Huff, a Republican from Williamsburg. Her husband, former State Representative Dewayne Bunch, died shortly after suffering a TBI.

The bill passed committee with only one senator voting against it. It now goes to the full Senate.  It already passed the House.

There has been limited opposition.  Critics say the bill infringes on personal freedoms.