Senate Passes Bill to Promote Winter Sports Safety

The New York State Senate this week passed legislation to help protect children from potential head injuries incurred while participating in winter sports. The legislation (S1851), sponsored by Senator Betty Little (R-C-I, Queensbury), requires skiers and snowboarders under 14 years of age to wear a protective helmet at New York ski areas.  

Senator Little said, “Skiing is a relatively safe sport made safer by the use of a helmet.  More people, children and adults alike, are wearing helmets each year, recognizing that a traumatic brain injury is life altering. Requiring kids to wear a helmet is a reasonable and smart approach to keep them safe. This would give parents some added authority by being able to say to their children ‘it’s the law, you can’t hit the slopes without your helmet’.”

While statistics support the fact that skiing is a relatively safe activity, with 2.6 injuries per 1,000 skier visits, head injuries do occur with some frequency and make up approximately 14 percent of all injuries suffered.

Similar to the state’s bicycle helmet law, this measure would help reduce the number of head injuries suffered by children while skiing or snowboarding in New York. Ski areas – which have expressed support for the legislation - would post signs at their information boards and on-site locations where lift tickets are sold notifying guests of the helmet requirements as well as the availability of helmets for rental or purchase. Lift tickets would also include language about the law. 

The bill has been sent to the Assembly.