By Dana Hull Mercury News

California * kids who skateboard, ride a scooter or in-line skate will be required to wear a helmet starting January 1.

The new law, which applies to all children under the age of 18, is the toughest helmet safety law in the country.

``Too many children go to the emergency room because they aren't wearing helmets,'' said state Sen. Jack O'Connell, D-San Luis Obispo, who sponsored the bill Gov. Gray Davis signed today. ``If we save just one life or prevent one broken bone or concussion with the law it will be worth it.''

The law was inspired by a group of students from Hawthorne Elementary school in San Luis Obispo who wanted to do something after a third-grade classmate was hit by a car while riding her scooter. The young girl was not wearing a helmet at the time and missed class for about two weeks. The school's student council sent O'Connell a letter asking him to sponsor the legislation.

Maryland * and Rhode Island * have helmet laws for children under 16 who ride scooters or in-line skate. New York * and New Jersey * laws apply only to children under 14. California, 12 other states and the District of Columbia * have helmet laws for bike riders only.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that in 2000 * there were 40,500 scooter-related injuries treated in the nation's emergency rooms.

Nearly 85 percent of scooter injuries involved kids younger than 15, and there were 16 deaths related to scooter use in 2001 *.

Skateboard injuries result in 50,000 emergency room visits and 1,500 hospitalizations among minors each year in the United States *, according to a state Senate analysis of the bill.

Many skate parks in the Bay Area, from the Campbell Skatepark * to Greer Skateboard Park in Palo Alto, already require helmets. While many local skaters wear protective gear when they go to local skate parks, it's unclear how severely police will crack down on skaters who aren't wearing helmets on local streets.

This article was originally found at http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/4061888.htm? template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

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