According to reports, Hawaii lawmakers are moving ahead with two bills that would require minors to wear helmets when skateboarding on public property but not everyone is on board. Especially not the core skaters.
Some are calling it an overstep, others just straight-up laughed. One comment floating around local parks and social media is that even Trae “The Tank” Montgomery’s dad didn’t make him wear a helmet when he front-lipped a 12-stair rail at age 13. And you think some kid cruising down a sidewalk needs one?
For skaters deep in the culture, this feels like more of the same - outsiders trying to regulate something they’ve never really understood.
Skateboarding, for many, is about freedom, risk, and figuring things out the hard way. That doesn’t always come with knee pads and wrist guards.
Still, the proposed helmet law - Senate Bill 344 and House Bill 706 is gaining momentum at the Capitol. The big difference between the two? SB 344 targets anyone under 18. HB 706 sets the age cap at 16. Both would require a helmet that’s been tested and approved by a national safety agency.
Supporters are pushing hard. Paula Kurashige has testified multiple times over the years, sharing that she lost both her grandson and nephew in skateboard-related head injuries. Her grandson, Kameron Steinhoff, was a standout basketball player who tragically passed in 2011. Her message: a helmet could’ve made the difference.
Others like longtime ER nurse Ruth Love and the Department of Transportation are backing the bills with stats.
The DOT cited research that says helmets reduce head injuries by up to 88%. The Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition also chimed in, saying a law like this could cut down on long-term healthcare costs.
The pushback is real. Even if it’s quieter. Only two people officially submitted testimony opposing SB 344, but the real resistance lives at the skateparks, schoolyards, and curb spots.
That’s where kids learn to fall and sometimes, yeah, get hurt but also where they grow confidence, style, and grit.
The legislation hasn’t been finalized yet. SB 344 is headed for a House-Senate conference committee to work out the differences, while HB 706 is still working its way back through the House.
Whether the bills pass or not, the divide between lawmakers and the core skate community is loud and clear. And for now, you’ll still find plenty of kids in Hawaii bombing hills without helmets just like Trae “The Tank” did.