Michael Hannon was killed while riding his push scooter in January. The study has been initiated by Roads Minister Duncan Gay who this month introduced stiffer penalties for cyclists not wearing helmets or ignoring red lights. "The Centre for Road Safety is currently carrying out a review of the rules for wearing helmets when riding wheeled recreational devices as well as the relevant standards for these helmets," his office told Fairfax Media. Currently, NSW does not require riders of wheeled recreational devices such as non-motorised scooters and skateboards to wear a helmet, although it is recommended. Statistics show four pedestrians were killed on such toy vehicles involving cars in 2015 and one the previous year. Casualties including injuries of all levels, as well as fatalities where cars were involved, have declined since 2011.

Ms Hannon, who has a second son, Joshua, 16, was at work when she got the call. There was a police officer at the house when she arrived. "The first question was what was Michael wearing that day," she said. "They wouldn't let me up near the tape or anything. It wasn't until after five that they came down and told me it was Michael. "All I know is that they were on their scooters and that a car was involved. I only know what happened by the marks on the road. They always had helmets. I told him all the time, 'Put your helmet on. Put your helmet on.' "The big thing with teenage boys and girls is that they don't want to wear them because it is going to mess their hair up or it's not cool. They feel indestructible. It won't happen to them. "All of a sudden, when it hits home and it's somebody they know, that's when things, hopefully, will change."

The petition Ms Hannon has started, #helmetsarecool, is to raise awareness so that all children, regardless of age, should wear a helmet. She is also calling for riders to put their phone numbers on their helmets so that, in the event of an injury, parents or guardians can be contacted. "We'd like a 'Michael's Law', not with kids or their parents paying fines, but if kids don't wear a helmet then they could do some community service around a skateboard park to make them realise if they don't wear a helmet they will miss out," Ms Hannon said. "If it's going to save a life under Michael's name I'm backing it 100 per cent and so are all his mates. I don't think any parent wants to be burying their child before them." Ian Faulks, a former director of NSW Parliament's Staysafe Committee, said wheeled recreational devices such as skateboards and scooters could be risky in some circumstances, but where the use was by a child under supervision, they were low risk.

"It would make sense to recommend the wearing of a helmet as good practice, particularly where the user may not have acquired good control and judgment skills, but I have not seen a clear case made for mandating the wearing of helmets," he said. Founder of the Sydney Skateboarding Association Cameron Sparkes said that he didn't wear a helmet because he said they affected balance. "For the street skateboarding that I do I don't really think it's appropriate because we are not travelling at high speeds," he said. "The problem is there are so many different derivatives of skateboarding now. For an early stage beginner I would recommend a helmet." Research in Brisbane presented in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health last year stated that wheeled recreational devices contributed significantly to injuries sustained by children. "A large proportion of these injuries may be preventable, suggesting that mandating the use of protective equipment in Queensland may be of great benefit," it said. Dr Soundappan Soundappan at the Children's Hospital at Westmead said children wearing a helmet seemed to get away with minor injuries to the face or head compared with those not wearing one.

"If you have a severe head injury recovery is often very prolonged and it is hard to predict how well a child will recover," he said. Mr Gay said: "Given how dangerous it can be to ride these toys on a road, not wearing a helmet is foolish. I don't want to bring in more laws – people should just do the sensible thing and wear a helmet."