Jo Linder-Crow, executive director of the California Psychological Association, is responding to Ginger Rutland's Sept. 24 editorial notebook "Do we need laws to end every kind of risk?" which stated "I agree with (Gov.) Brown who, in his veto message, went on to say 'I am concerned about the continuing and seemingly inexorable transfer of authority from parents to the government.' "

As Ginger Rutland stated, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed Senate Bill 105, with the now often quoted phrase, "Not every human problem deserves a law."

Unfortunately, Rutland loses sight of the very human problem that exists for children with traumatic brain injury. Instead of getting lost in nostalgic memories of childhood or the novelty of Brown's libertarian streak, let's remember that thanks to Brown's veto, easily preventable injuries will continue to occur.

Children with traumatic brain injury are often unable to walk or speak, and they and their families will face very real human problems for the rest of their lives.

Additionally, Rutland speculated that insurance companies or trial lawyers were behind this bill.

SB 105 was sponsored by the California Psychological Association, a group of scientists and clinicians who were dismayed after years of treating people with easily preventable traumatic brain injuries. The association was joined by young men and women who had their lives changed by this human problem, along with almost every other medical professional group and the ski industry.

This wide-ranging coalition came together because this human problem has an obvious solution – children need to wear helmets.

Multiple studies show that helmets either prevent or mitigate injuries on the slopes. A Federal Consumer Products Safety Commission study has shown that, for children under 15 years of age, 53 percent of head injuries are mitigated by the use of a helmet. Recent studies have also shown that when helmets are used, the incidence of traumatic brain or head injury has been reduced by at least 29 percent.

Traumatic brain injuries have extraordinary cost for California families and taxpayers. A study by the American Medical Association says that the lifetime cost is as high as $9 million for those with severe brain injuries.

We all hope parents will "do the right thing," but we have learned with smoking laws, drinking laws, child safety seat laws, and bicycle and skate helmet laws that the state has an interest in protecting children who aren't always protected by their parents. Perhaps not every problem needs a law, but sometimes the potential result without a law just isn't worth the gamble.

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Jo Linder-Crow is executive director of the California Psychological Association.

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