Clinic in Charlottetown reminds Islanders to remember their helmets this summer

Islanders are being reminded to wear proper head protection while riding bicycles, skate boards and e-scooters, which were introduced to Charlottetown just a few years ago.

Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown was in attendance at Big Brothers, Big Sisters on Saturday when Kenneth Murnaghan with Injury Free P.E.I. hosted a helmet-fitting clinic.

Brown said that he's seen many in the city not wearing helmets while riding bikes and other modes of transport.

"It's very important to wear your helmet …cycling, skateboarding, rollerblading … and now you have your e-scooters, a lot of those people are riding those scooters without helmets," Brown said. 

Murnaghan is a longtime advocate for helmet use. He had an accident when he was 10 years old that left him with a brain injury.

Since then he has created organizations, and has advocated for brain-injury awareness.

Brown said he might have had a serious head injury if not for a helmet. He crashed while riding to a friend's house a few years ago.

He said he takes helmet safety seriously. Even though there are already laws in place regarding helmet use, he thinks more can be done.

Another person who stopped by at the event was retired teacher Peter Harrison. He said he has also seen more people around without helmets.

"There seems to be a fad around Charlottetown of people just not thinking a helmet is important," he said. "They might think it will affect what they look like, or they look silly, and that's so stupid."

Harrison used to coach baseball and insisted his players had the proper equipment. He said that translates to proper equipment for bikes, and more.

"It doesn't matter what you do, you dress for the thing," he said. "Every part of your body is valuable."