OFF THE WIRE
http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20111219/NEWS01/312190029/Students-try-change-Iowa-helmet-law-honor-friend
Students try to change Iowa helmet law in honor of friend West High seniors lobbying state legislators to make it law that teens have to wear helmets
Three West High seniors have committed themselves to changing Iowa’s helmet laws in memory of their friend.
Olivia Lofgren, Caroline Van Voorhis and Leah Murray have been trying to change Iowa’s helmet policy since Caroline Found, a senior at West High, died in a moped accident in August. She was not wearing a helmet.
They had known Found for most of their lives. They all went to the same elementary school, attended the same church and lived in the same neighborhood.
“We want to turn something that is so devastating and make it into something positive,” Lofgren said.
Iowa is one of three states in the nation that does not have any helmet regulations, said Toni Kerkove, the motorcycle rider education administrator with the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Kerkove said the DOT promotes helmet use through education. Drivers younger than 18 are required to take a 15-hour motorcycle safety course, but the course is available to everybody. Kerkove said the average age of people who attend the course is 45.
“Hopefully we can educate them enough during the course that proper gear can save the lives of the people who wear it,” Kerkove said.
Since August, the West High students have been working on getting a helmet law passed in Iowa. They said they hope a law is passed that requires people younger than 18 to wear a helmet while riding a moped or scooter. This will give riders up to three years of riding with a helmet to develop the habit, they said.
The young women are not trying to create a law requiring motorcyclists or adults to wear helmets; they say they are focusing on minors riding mopeds or scooters.
“We want the law to cover enough that it will make an impact, but not be so broad that it won’t pass,” Van Voorhis said.
The group also has been selling key chains that say “Hope for a Helmet” to raise money and awareness for their cause. The key chains are Carolina blue, Found’s favorite color and have “Line # 9” printed on the inside in memory of Found’s volleyball number.
On Jan. 7 they will hold a meeting at 9 a.m. in the little theater at West High to inform the public about their research and mission.
“We want to get people to know who we are and what we are trying to do in order to get people on our side,” Van Voorhis said.
In mid-January, they will host a booth at the State Capitol where they will hand out brochures and fact sheets with data relating to the benefits of helmet use and statistics relating to helmet use and crash data in Iowa.
The group said they have spoken with state Sen. Joe Bolkcom, who has agreed to request the bill to be drafted and sponsor the bill in the state Senate. State Rep. Dave Jacoby has agreed to sponsor the bill in the House. The young women said they also hope to speak with other state leaders to gain more support for their bill.
The three have teamed up with students in Solon to show that more than just Iowa City residents are hoping to change Iowa’s laws concerning helmet usage.
“It’s not just Iowa City that has been touched by Caroline’s story,” Lofgren said. “All of Iowa has.”
