Bike Helmet Safety for Kids from St. John's Mercy Children's Hospital

[prollymunna]

When I was 14 I crashed my bicycle. I got lucky - I dragged my knee along the pavement til the tendon was exposed. It took two dozen stitches and weeks on crutches to heal. Why lucky? I DIDN'T HIT MY HEAD.

We who HAVE crashed and lived to tell about it respectfully urge everyone to wear a helmet to prevent brain injury or death. 91.4 % of bicyclist fatalities 1994-2008 were those not wearing helmets. Compare that with 6.3 % who wore helmets. Get one and ride safely.

[DACLAWER]

i never wore a helmet in my whole life and never was injured

[DJRollaCoasta]

@DACLAWER That just means you were lucky enough not to fall. I almost never wore my helmet, but decided to one day, and that day I was going down a hill and hit the front brake because the back wasn't working and I hit my head hard on the ground as I did a front flip, thankfully because of my helmet I don't have any brain injuries.

[ClivePIA]

Wouldn't it be a shame, though, if all this talk of 'danger' and 'injuries' ended up putting people off cycling? The result would be lots more danger, through the obesity, heart disease and general ill helath of a population that drives everywhere because they've been told (incorrectly) that cycling is dangerous.

Whether you wear a helmet or not, ride a bike. It's your choice, and cycling is not as dangerous as some would have you believe.

[prollymunna]

@ClivePIA OK, let's say cycling itself isn't dangerous. But potholes and cracked pavement and gravel and debris in your path while cars and motorcycles whiz by are dangerous. What about you being distracted by a pretty girl on the bike path, or texting while you ride, etc.? Does any of that increase the danger? As to it being "your choice", brain injuries often require life-long care, which we all pay for after the non-helmet-wearing person's insurance runs out. So it is our business.

[ClivePIA]

@prollymunna Thanks for your reply. How about the obesity and ill-health issue? How do you feel about the idea of rising levels of obesity through increasingly inactive children, put off cycling by this kind of panic? The effects of millions of overweight and unhealthy children are far more costly to our society than a small number of head injuries which may (and very possibly may not) have been prevented through helmet-wearing.

[prollymunna]

@ClivePIA You cite panic as a reason for kids not riding their bikes, but you don't cite any data. It's a specious argument, and the language you use smacks of hyperbole. There are myriad reasons kids are out of shape. There are many other forms of excercise that kids can use if biking scares them. If they do bike, however, they should wear helmets to protect their brains.

[prollymunna]

@ClivePIA You imply kids make all these decisions. If kids are obese, you're talking about parenting issues. Kids don't have the life experience to make big decisions, so states entrust their parents to guide them until age 18. Dad can say get off the couch, get on your bike, wear a helmet. Many states require under-18's to wear helmets. Child baseball and football players wear helmets. Can you see that protecting young brains from injury protects them from "ill-health" as you put it?

[stjohnsmercy]

We couldn't agree more that all cyclists should wear helmets. This specific video was created because there was an accident involving a child who wore a helmet and survived as a result. Dr. Alander is a pediatric emergency medicine physician at St. John's Mercy Children's Hospital, so her focus is on the pediatric population. Thank you for the comment.

[WOODRUFFAPTS]

This video does a big disservice by only discussing the need for children to wear helmets when, in fact, all cyclist need to be protected.

[ClivePIA]

@WOODRUFFAPTS Why stop at cyclists? Why not pedestrians, motorists and everyone else?

[prollymunna]

@WOODRUFFAPTS Right on. I ride along the bike paths near Marina Del Rey. There are parents riding bikes with babies in safety seats. The babies are wearing helmets. The parents are not. And if they crash, will the 2-year-old know how to dial 911 and give a location? The bikes cost $500. The cheapest adult helmets at Target are $10. There is absolutely no justification for adults to ride without helmets. Thanks for pointing that out.