Study shows bike helmets reduce head injuries by 70 percent
A new study out of Australia shows that people who use bike helmets across the world reduce their risk of serious head injury by nearly 70 percent.
More than 64,000 cyclists from across the world participated in the study, which also showed that people who wear helmets while cycling also reduce their chance of a fatal head injury by 65 percent. The study also showed that neck injuries are not associated with helmet use.
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“A comprehensive review by Australian statisticians Jake Olivier and Prudence Creighton from the University of New South Wales that drew together data from more than 40 separate studies found helmet use was associated with dramatically reduced odds of head injuries,” an article by The Guardian reads. “The findings were presented in Finland this week at Safety 2016, the world conference on injury prevention and safety promotion.”
The findings were particularly significant for serious or fatal head injuries and found the reduction was greater for these kinds of more serious injuries.
The study found that helmet use is associated with the reduction of 51 percent for head injury, 69 percent for serious head injury, 33 percent for face injury and 65 percent for fatal head injury. Injuries to the neck were rare and not associated with helmet use.
“These results suggest that strategies to increase the uptake of bicycle helmets should be considered along with other injury prevention strategies as part of a comprehensive cycling safety plan,” the article reads. “The researchers cautioned that helmets were not a ‘panacea for cycling injury’ and did not eliminate head or face injuries or offer protection to other parts of cyclists’ bodies. But it does make the case more difficult for those who oppose mandatory helmet wearing.”
Critics of bike helmets reportedly claim that helmet laws deter people from cycling. One study found that 16.5 percent of people say they would ride more often if they were not required to wear a helmet at all times.
