[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 90 (Monday, July 8, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6354-S6355]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CHRISTEN O'DONNELL EQUESTRIAN HELMET SAFETY ACT
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, last week my colleague from Rhode Island,
Senator Chafee, and I introduced legislation to provide greater safety
for children and adults who ride horses in the United States. Each year
in our country, nearly 15 million people go horseback riding. Whether
it be professionally or for pleasure, Americans of all ages and from
all walks of life enjoy equestrian sports. And, while everyone
acknowledges that horseback riding is a high-risk activity, there are
serious safety issues related to equestrian sports that can and should
be addressed.
I first became aware of the problem of equestrian helmets when Kemi
O'Donnell, a constituent of mine in Connecticut, called my office to
relate her family's tragic experience. The story she shared opened my
eyes to the danger posed by certain equestrian helmets. In 1998, Kemi's
daughter, Christen O'Donnell, was a young 12-year-old resident of
Darien, Connecticut, and a 7th grader at New Canaan Country School.
Active and sporty, Christen was a talented intermediate rider who had
five years of riding experience under her belt when she mounted her
horse on the morning of August 11. As always, Christen wore a helmet
and was accompanied by her trainer when she began a slow walk through
the ring. Suddenly, without warning, the horse she was riding shook its
head, and Christen was thrown off onto 4 inches of sand. Even though
her horse was only at a walk, and Christen was wearing a helmet, that
helmet offered her little protection, and she sustained severe head
injuries as a result of the fall. She was rushed to Stamford hospital
where, despite efforts to save her, she died the next day. The
magnitude of their loss has been compounded by the thought that, had
Christen been wearing a better constructed helmet, it is possible she
could have survived this accident.
My colleagues may be shocked to learn, as Christen's parents were,
that there are no government standards in existence for the
manufacturing of equestrian helmets. Some helmets are voluntarily
constructed to meet strict American Society of Testing and Materials
(ASTM) testing requirements, but the vast majority of helmets sold in
the U.S. offer little or no real protection and are merely cosmetic
hats--a form of apparel. Frequently, parents of young riders like
Christen--and even more mature riders--do not know that they are buying
an untested and unapproved item when they purchase a riding helmet.
Indeed, most riders believe that when they buy a helmet at the store,
they are purchasing a product that meets standards designed to provide
real and adequate head protection. Bike helmets are built to minimum
safety requirements, as are motorcycle helmets.
Apparel helmets, like the one worn by Christen, offer little or no
head protection, while ASTM-approved helmets are designed to
significantly reduce head injury. The difference in aesthetic design
between the two is minimal, but the underlying support structures of
these types of helmet are substantial. ASTM-approved helmets offer a
high degree of head protection, increase the survivability of
equestrian accidents and, in my view, should be the standard for all
equestrian helmets.
This lack of adequate safety standards in riding helmets is why USA
Equestrian (USAEq), one of the largest equestrian organizations in the
country, recently mandated that ASTM-approved helmets must be worn in
all USAEq-sanctioned events. While this decision effectively eliminates
the danger posed by ``apparel helmets'' at these events, each day many
more students ride in lessons and in private shows that are not USAEq-
sanctioned. For their safety, I believe that Congress should establish
minimum safety standards for all equestrian helmets sold in the United
States, so that all riders can obtain headgear that offers actual
protection against head injury. This is not an unprecedented
suggestion. As I stated before, Congress has already acted to similarly
ensure the safety of bike helmets. The legislation that I and Senator
Chafee introduce in Christen's memory today is modeled on this
successful bike helmet law and would go a long way toward reducing the
mortality of equestrian accidents.
The Christen O'Donnell Equestrian Helmet Safety Act would require
that the Consumer Product Safety Commission establish minimum
requirements, based on the already proven ASTM standard, for all
equestrian helmets in the United States. Thus, there would be a uniform
standard for all equestrian helmets, and riders could be confident that
the helmet they buy offers real head protection. Let me be clear. This
modest legislation does not mandate that riders wear helmets. That is a
matter better left to individual states. But, it would take a
significant step toward improving the survivability of equestrian
accidents and would bring the United States in line with other
industrialized countries with sizable riding populations. Countries
like Australia and New Zealand have enacted similar safety legislation,
and the European Union has set standards to make sure that helmets for
equestrian activities meet continental standards. It is time for the
United States to take similar steps.
This bill is supported by a wide-ranging coalition of equestrian,
child safety, and medical groups. This bill has received the
endorsement of the National SAFEKIDS coalition, an organization
dedicated to preventing accidental injury to children, and the
[[Page S6355]]
Brain Trauma Foundation, a leading medical group dedicated to
preventing and treating brain injury. Additionally, USAEq has passed a
rule in support of the concept of the bill, requiring all children to
wear ASTM approved helmets and strongly recommending that all adults do
so as well. Further, in the Chronicle of the Horse, the trade
publication for the Master of Foxhounds Association, the U.S.
Equestrian Team, the U.S. Pony Clubs, The National Riding Commission,
the Foxhound Club of North America, the National Beagle Club, the U.S.
Dressage Foundation, the American Vaulting Association, and North
American Riding for the Handicapped Association, and the
Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, an article was published
endorsing the ASTM rule. Given the wide range of organizations that
endorse this bill, or have endorsed the ASTM rule, it is clear that
riders, coaches, and medical professionals alike recognize the need for
a standard, tested helmet design.
I would like to draw my colleague's attention to some alarming
statistics that further demonstrate the importance and expediency of
this bill. Emergency rooms all across America have to deal with an
influx of horse-related injuries each year. Nationwide in 1999, an
estimated 15,000 horse-related emergency department visits were made by
youths under 15 years old. Of these injuries, head injuries were by far
the most numerous and accounted for around 60 percent of equestrian-
related deaths. These injuries occurred, and continue to occur, at all
ages and at all levels of riding experience. That an inadequately
protected fall from a horse can kill is not surprising when you examine
the medical statistics. A human skull can be shattered by an impact of
less than 6.2 miles per hour, while horses can gallop at approximately
40 miles per hour. A fall from two feet can cause permanent brain
damage, and a horse elevates a rider to eight feet or more above the
ground. These statistics make it evident that horseback riding is a
high-risk sport. While all riders acknowledge this fact, reducing the
risk of serious injury while horseback riding is attainable through the
use of appropriate head protection. We should pass this bill, and pass
it soon, to ensure that head protection for equestrian events is safe
and effective.
American consumers deserve to be confident that their protective
gear, should they choose to wear it, offers real protection. I urge my
colleagues to support this bill.
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