Why do we have to wear helmets when...?

Zoe Love

Why do we have to wear helmets on bicycles?
If you think about it, there are more risks driving in a car and we don't wear helmets in the car?
There were nearly 6,420,000 auto accidents in the United States in 2005. And 42,636 people killed.
And as for bicycles 350,000 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries. And 250 children ages 14 and under died in bicycle-related crashes. Motor vehicles were involved in 230 of these deaths. Yet we wear helmets on bicycles not cars? Wearing a helmet in a car could've saved 1,000s of people as many die from brain related injuries. And why do we wear them on bicycles?

Answer
To protect your head\ brain, if your hit by a car on a bike your head could hit the ground with the same force as the car or be crushed under another car.

Cars have seatbelts & airbags to restrain your head from hitting anything hard, the car is also like a cage which stops your head from hitting the ground.

I think a helmet would restric your vision and increase the chances of an accident

I'm sure if wearing a helmet did drastically improve survival rate it would be compulsory

Can wearing a motorcycle helmet increase your chance of injury?

Bob

I've asked before, I'm asking again:

I'm looking for information on motorcycle helmets and injuries. Specifically I need to find cases where someone on a motorcycle was:

a)wearing a helmet.

b)involved in an accident.

c)suffered injuries that would not have occurred if they had been wearing a helmet, or had injuries that were worsened because of the helmet.

I don't need second hand hearsay. I don't need to know about this thing that happened to this one guy you know. I facts that can be verified.

Also - if any medical professionals would we willing to correspond with me regarding this subject I'd appreciate it.

Thanks for your time.
Greydoc6 - I could really use your help. If you'd be interested in corresponding with me my email address is bigbob (at) ameritech (dot) net. Thank you for your time.
I am not an attorney. I have no professional interest in this at all. I am an avid motorcyclist and I ALWAYS wear a helmet when I ride.

I'm currently invovled in a debate with a local political lobbying group and I'm trying to find ammo for my side of the arguement: helmets are a good idea, and any arguement to the contrary is BS.

Thanks all for your help.

Answer
It is conceivable that a helmet could be a cause of injury. There may be rare cases where this is so.

However, a bicyclist or motorcyclist is statistically much less likely to sustain a head injury if wearing a helmet. This has been demonstrated in various ways many times.

For part of my career, I would serve as a ward attending on the convalescent unit for one month per year. On the ward there were always one or two kids with severe head injuries sustained from bicycle or ATV injuries. Practically all such patients were not wearing head protection at the time of the accident. Most survived, but recovery was painfully slow and often incomplete, requiring years of rehabilitation.

So the resistance to wearing helmets and your implication that they are harmful is very frustrating from my viewpoint.

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Do I really need to replace my bicycle helmet?

bicycle helmets and head injuries image

CuriousRob

I've heard that after one accident, you should replace your bicycle helmet because any trauma to the helmet creates "microscopic" stresses that compromise its ability to protect your head. This sounds like a lot of voodoo hoodoo by bicycle helmet manufacturers who want to sell more helmets.

My helmet is several years old, and has sustained plenty of traumas, from a fall or two, to dropping the helmet on a hard surface, to everyday wear and tear. The thin, plastic casing has even completely come off the styrofoam frame, and I've simply glued reflective stickers to the styrofoam and continue to wear it. The plastic covering was SO thin that I have a hard time believing it was ever anything but merely cosmetic.

Come on...are the helmet manufacturers being alarmist just to sell more of their product? Isn't any bicycle helmet just a piece of styrofoam and straps? Do I really need to get a new one?

Answer
If the plastic covering has fallen off your helmet, it should be replaced. The covering is there for a very good reason. If you fall, the smooth plastic allows the helmet to slide on the pavement. Without it, the foam has much more friction and can cause injury if it "sticks" to the pavement. If you have fallen, each time your head hits something the foam compresses, absorbing energy and helping to protect your head. Once the foam has compressed, it can no longer absorb energy if you fall, increasing the chances of head injuries. It is time for a new helmet. Better quality helmets have the thin plastic bonded to the foam, which makes the structure stronger and more durable.

do i have to wear a helmet when bike riding?

rachel

i live in melbourne, australia and im 16 years old. do i have to wear a helmet when riding a bike. at what age do you not have to wear a helmet?
also do you get a fine if you dont wear it?

Answer
In Australia, bicycle helmets are mandatory in all states and territories. Compliance is high but varies by area, with some cities over 90% and rural areas much lower. In the State of Victoria cyclists' head injuries declined 41%. There were 36% fewer child riders on the road, immediately after the legislation passed, but perhaps more adult riders. Changes in ridership may or may not have been related to the passage of the laws, and the road culture in Australia is unique to that country. (No similar effects have ever been documented in the US.) Injury reduction was below expectations, but still spectacular. Hospital data from Western Australia show that the number of intracranial injuries was cut in half with increased helmet use, while head injuries were less serious, and hospital stays shorter.

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