Sally Campbell is a girl who loves to skateboard in her hometown of Washington, D.C. Sally was bored one Saturday and decided that she wanted to skate around the park. She grabbed her board and took off to the park to meet her friends.

After Sally and her friends were skating for about an hour when D.C. police drove by on patrol. Upon seeing Sally, the officers parked the car and approached the group. Because Sally is not wearing a helmet, her parents are called to the park. They are cited and fined for violating the D.C. law below and are required to pay their fine in 30 days. Her parents want to know what their options are.

50-1651. Helmet requirement, miscellaneous vehicles.

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person under 16 years of age to ride roller skates, a skateboard, sled, coaster, toy vehicle, sidewalk bicycle, scooter, or any similar device without wearing a protective helmet of good fit, fastened securely upon the head with the straps of the helmet.

(b) The parents or legal guardians of any child under 16 years of age found in violation of this act shall be liable for a fine of $25; provided, that the fine shall be suspended for:

(1) First time violators; or

(2) Violators who subsequent to the violation, but prior to the date the fine is due, purchase a helmet as described in subsection (a) of this section and provide proof of the purchase.

(c) Any helmet offered for sale or rent for use by an operator, or roller skates roller-skates, a skateboard, sled, coaster, toy vehicle, sidewalk bicycle, scooter, or any similar device shall meet or exceed the impact standards for protective bicycle helmets set by the American National Standards Institute, the Snell Memorial Foundation's standards for protective headgear, or the American Society for Testing and Materials for use in bicycling.

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Sallys parents have received a citation and fine for violating the helmet requirement law in Washing... View the full answer