We were deeply saddened by news of the tragic accident that left a 7yearold in critical condition.

Twenty years ago we might have lost our son, 14, an accomplished cyclist, in a solo bicycle accident caused by a flat tire. The bicycle helmet he was wearing likely spared him serious or grave injury.

The Acorn's editorial comment "kids will be kids" is an unacceptable response to this calamity. A bicycle isn't a toy!

A parent should no more give a youngster a bicycle without comprehensive instruction, along with a mandatory helmet, than present a child with a BB-gun to hunt rabbits.

The torment to the victim's family must be unbearable. However, life is full of dangers, especially for "invincible" young people. For the very reasons that children often use poor judgment and that "nobody can be a guardian angel all the time" are precisely why parents must establish zero compromise on bicycle safety.

The improbability of injury has no relevance in cases of life or death. If it involves someone you love, the odds are always 100 percent. Safety isn't an option- - it's mandatory.

When our daughter, 10, rode her bike to school 25 years ago, I drove by 10 minutes later to see her pedaling in the bicycle lane, exactly as she'd been taught, but her helmet was hanging on the handlebars!

I stopped and asked her why she wasn't wearing her helmet.

She said other kids made fun of her.

Rather than lecture her, her father simply put the bike in the trunk and instructed her to continue her journey on foot. She awoke early every day the remainder of the week and walked to school.

Like driving, riding a bicycle is a privilege, not a right. Our children learned the lesson well.

Parents: Make certain your children know the rules of the road, demonstrate proficiency on a bicycle and vow to always wear a helmet before you allow them to bicycle without your immediate supervision.

As one family tragically learned, never gamble with our children's welfare.

After all, they are our personal and national treasure! Jeffrey and Germaine Wissot Westlake Village