For parents trying to get kids to abide by California's new under-18 bicycle helmet law when they ride, a UC Davis researcher has some advice. Parents should take the helmet law seriously, because bicycles are a major cause of childhood accidental deaths, especially for boys, says Brenda Bryant, a human development and family studies professor. To set an example, parents should wear helmets when they bike, she says. Wearing a helmet must become a non-negotiable issue, even during the transition time. To make helmets more palatable, parents should allow their kids to help choose their own and decorate them so they are more attractive. For teens, peer pressure is vital in achieving compliance with the new law, so parents may want to work through 4-H or student council leaders. To help make bicycling risks real for teens, Bryant suggests having paraplegic kids injured in bike accidents talk at school assemblies. For better compliance, parents may want to push for an adult helmet law; otherwise, helmets may be considered a childish concern.