Bill would require teens on longboards to wear helmets

Sen. Joe Hardy, R-Boulder City, introduced a bill Wednesday to require teens riding “longboards,” oversized skateboards with bigger wheels that go faster than standard ones, to wear helmets. “They're more stable than skateboards, and they go faster,” Hardy, a doctor, said of the longboards, adding that there’s more danger of injury to such boarders if they fall. He said a teen in his neighborhood crashed while riding a longboard, suffered severe head trauma and now is in rehabilitation. The bill would give parents more leverage to order their children to wear helmets than just telling them “because I said so,” Hardy said. Also, he said parents could be fined $10 if they fail to tell their teen to wear a helmet and the boarder is stopped by police. There is no national law requiring an individual to wear a helmet while on longboards or standard-size boards, but some states have passed laws mandating the helmets as a way to prevent injuries or even deaths. Professional speedboarders — wearing helmets — have hit speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour on longboards. The proposed Nevada law would apply to boarders younger than 18. SB115 was referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee for review.