Kevin Kelly wrote a strong letter, responding to this week’s Province article about Stephen Elder’s death from a skateboarding accident. Here it is:

Featured letter: Skateboarders are getting the message about helmets

I was filled with pride when The Province ran an uplifting story heralding skateboarding’s popularity and acceptance with the recent proclamation of

“Skateboard Week” in Vancouver.

But then I read a reconstituted story from seven years ago about Stephen Elder of White Rock and his 13-year-old son Matthew, who sadly died from a head injury sustained while skateboarding.
As sad as this was, the fact that Matthew didn’t tell anyone for hours after the incident jumps out to me more than the “skateboards are deadly” message that is being presented.

Yes, things like this can happen while riding a skateboard, but they can also happen playing on snow, climbing trees, riding bikes or during a million other things that kids do. Let’s not be so quick to point our fingers at skateboarding or be so quick to say kids aren’t wearing helmets.

As skateboarding’s popularity rises, so do the number of kids wearing helmets. These things take time to catch on, but with each new generation of skaters, there is less resistance to helmets.

I teach lessons to kids and I own a skateboard shop and I not only sell a ton of helmets to skaters, but they are actually excited about wearing them.

So Mr. Elder, rest assured that your son’s memory has not been forgotten, I tell all my students about him and I’m sure other instructors do, too. Matthew’s story has had a profound impact locally on growing the number of skaters now wearing helmets.

Kids don’t need laws, they need education. And that takes time.

— Kevin Kelly, Vancouver

You are absolutely right, raising awareness and changing attitudes (e.g. to wear a helmet) takes time and is a long term process. The good news is, helmets are considered important and are being promoted by advocates like you. The bad news is brain injuries due to recreation and sports are still being reported at alarming rates.  Awareness requires a community effort.  Education around attitudes and behaviour needs to be reinforced at various occasions by all kinds of people. A coach’s message to his students to wear a helmet could easily be lost if the student does not practice this at home, either because his parents don’t think it’s a big deal or they don’t use one themselves. Children and youth, curious by nature tend to follow and mimic what parents and adults practice around them. Furthermore, how many skateboarder’s posters /videos do we see on-line wearing caps instead of helmets, promoting skateboarding activities? Injuries happen and impact us all – but they DON’T need to happen – they are preventable. We, British Columbians just need to remind ourselves and others around us to think about the inherent risks before we indulge in our activities and take safety measures, whether it be at home, at play, at work or on the road.  Think about helmet use not just while cycling, but also while on a scooter, on a skateboard, or a ski-hill. I think we should live an active and enjoyable life but at the same time be safe and ensure safety for others around us.

Matthew did tell his mom about the injury, was rushed to hospital, but died of a brain bleed 3 hours later. In Matthew’s case, the injury that was reported shortly after its occurrence could have been prevented if a helmet was worn. The Community Against Preventable Injuries invites British Columbians to join the Community in the fight against the epidemic of preventable injuries at preventable.ca and help promote a culture where everyone looks out for each other.

Some of you may feel we’re focusing only on your sport, whether it be skateboarding or cycling, but our goal is to raise awareness across all sports and activities where preventable injuries are still occuring in high numbers, and unfortunately there are still people that choose to skateboard without helmets. But we feel like we’re making some progress by getting attention focused on the issue and receiving such passionate responses like yours. Like you said, kids need education… and so do adults… and The Community is all about educating and informing.