Kids riding bikes without helmets. Yes, I know we all grew up not wearing them, but that doesn't mean it was the right thing to do. As a kid, I ended up in the Emergency Room one time for a crash that would have been considerably mitigated if I had been wearing a helmet. I was in a ward with three other kids that crashed that day. I was the only one without a concussion, and one of the kids was projectile vomiting. That's a sound you don't forget. These days, I'd never consider getting on a bike without one.
Because helmet use under the age of 16 is a law, when I'm on duty as a volunteer with the local Park Police, I ask parents where their child's helmets are. I get some crazy excuses. Some of the best:
"Oh, it's still in the car" - Ok, so you made the effort to bring it with you, but not put it on?
"He says it's uncomfortable" -- Lady, have you ever had a concussion? That's a lot more uncomfortable than wearing a helmet.
"Oh, it's a law?" - no comment
"But he's on training wheels" -- Bikes on training wheels can fall over, too. Better to get good habits started early. My daughter knows she has to wear her "funny hat" any time she gets on a bike, because that's what we always did, from dragging her in a trailer to riding a tandem bike with me.
Or they have the helmet attached to the handlebars -- what good is that going to do?
But maybe the worst are the ones where the parents are wearing helmets and the kids aren't. Or one of the kids has a helmet and the other doesn't. "Oh, you must love this child more than the other..." Or when I see a couple going out for a ride and the boyfriend is wearing a helmet while the girlfriend isn't. I guess chivalry is dead.
That's my two cents for Pet Peeves