You should decide on wearing a bicycle helmet, not New Jersey (Opinion)

It's "my body my choice" when it comes to abortion, unless we're talking COVID vaccines; then, the government as well as many employers want to tell you what to do. But what about when it comes to adults wearing bicycle helmets? Should New Jersey be mandating we wear one?

That's what Assemblyman Reginald Atkins, a Democrat from Union, would like to see happen in the Garden State. He wants to make it mandatory for adults to wear helmets while riding bicycles and scooters whether or not they're motorized.

His reasoning:

We have laws that say you have to have a helmet for motorcycles, you have to have seat belts if you’re in a car, there’s no reason why we should not have safety precautions for scooters and bikes … to me it makes sense.

I'm not going to argue the merits of wearing a helmet while riding a bike. My cousin, Jon Paul Trevelise, lost his life while training for a 500-mile bike ride from Houston to New Orleans when he was run over by a woman who didn't see him on the side of the road. He was wearing a helmet. It was his decision. Just like it should be our decision as to whether we should wear one, not the government's.

So how did this idea or bill come about?

Bill sponsor Assemblyman Reginald Atkins, told NJ.com he introduced the bill after his wife and daughter received minor injuries in a scooter crash in Washington, D.C.

Does his family have any ideas on how to lower property taxes, or stop car theft?

Maybe they think we should pump our own gas. Now that's a bill I can get behind, but not this one.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise only. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.

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