Before I check out, however, I wanted to share very general themes that I have uncovered in my reading on bicycling, bicycling injuries, and helmet use in bicycling. In reviewing the chart the professor is having me keep, I have read 20 articles - most of which involve interventions or observations. They focus on children and adults and they cover the globe - more or less.
I am NOT copying that bibliography here but rest assured it exists. The picture that is beginning to take shape in my mind is this:
The USA has some of the highest rates of both injury and death with regard to bicycling. This is in large part due to infrastructure issues. In other words, the country is set up to make driving the easiest way to transport. Roads across the country are significantly lacking in bike lines, side walks, traffic calming measures, and traffic patterns. The USA promotes driving as opposed to walking or cycling to work. Parking is often free or cheap, gas and taxes on automobiles are also very low compared to other countries. In other words, we are automobile focused and automobile friendly. This is bad for the cyclist AND the environment.
When a bicyclist crashes, either into the road or a vehicle, the most serious injuries are to the head. I do not believe that head injury is the most common injury, but the most deadly. Head injury can be prevented with helmet use.
Most people who bicycle do not wear helmets. Some of the worst accidents occur in children and unless mandated by law, the use of helmets in children is among the lowest of all age groups. Both cost to the person through disability, time in rehab and or death and cost to society from these injuries can be significantly decreased by proper and consistent helmet use.
There is also a difference in helmet use between races. The rate of helmet use and cycling in general is very low for black Americans. I have not looked very closely at other groups of persons of color. Importantly, people say that they will or do wear helmets much more often than is the case. This is known from research studies that use self reports vs observations.
There are some things that seem to increase the use of helmets:
- Laws/Policies
- Educational programs emphasizing or including:
- Free or Reduced Helmet access
- Belief that the helmet will protect against serious injury
- Having friends and especially parents who WEAR them
- Comfort and Look of the helmet
This is not about whether or not you can ride a bike without falling. It is about the cars that are not paying you any attention who will knock you off that bike - either into the ground or into a car. Keep your brains off the street!
www.pedbikeimages.org /mike cynaki
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