Editorial: Society's changing attitudes

When are we doing enough and when are we going overboard? Photo / Thinkstock

When I was a child, I can clearly remember sitting in the back seat of my parents' car without a seatbelt on or riding my bicycle without a helmet.

Now, this does not mean that my parents did not care about me or were not concerned about my safety. It was simply that that is what everyone did.

Nowadays, things are totally different and rightly so.

It is against the law for a child to be unrestrained in the back of a vehicle and you can also be fined for not wearing a helmet while cycling.

You sometimes hear people say that society has become over-protective and that we are taking too many precautions. Sure, there are some times when that may be the case but, like everything else, experience and knowledge make us more aware of the dangers out there. Remember when it was okay to have asbestos in your roof or when smoking was cool? Things have come a long way since then.

A story in yesterday's Hawke's Bay Today about how more children in our provinces are receiving scooter injuries got me thinking about keeping our children safe. When are we doing enough and when are we going overboard? The ACC figures showed that Hawke's Bay scooter injuries increased substantially from 304 in 2011, at a taxpayer cost of $110,093, to 450 last year at $128,919.

Obviously we need to take these figures seriously and it does raise the question of whether all kids should wear helmets when scootering.

Personally I think that is a good idea. However, it does not matter how much safety gear you put on your child, the most important thing is to teach them the importance of safety in these types of activities.