This past summer I was biking along University Avenue, following all traffic laws and wearing my helmet. I was T-boned by a driver who ran a stop sign by Sanford Hall. I sustained only a bruise on my hip, but if I had not been wearing a helmet, my skull would have cracked open. It is beyond comprehension that there are students who think they can get away with not wearing a helmet.

I understand the weather is nice and your hair is really important, but not wearing a helmet is considerably dangerous. If you get into an accident, you will be sent to the ER, and this will cost the state money and resources that could have been given to people who actually need it. By not wearing a helmet and preventing potential injury, you are saying you are more important than everyone else, that your hair style is worth more than the serious injuries being dealt with in the ER. A biker with a bare head is sending a clear message: I am more important than everyone else; I am above the law.

Not wearing a helmet, running red lights and not obeying basic traffic laws make drivers around you uncertain, further decreasing your safety on the roads. So, dear fellow University of Minnesota students: Stop being such vain airheads.

Go buy a helmet. There are plenty of fashionable options, and Boynton has a very affordable safety package. It’s your moral duty to society.