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5 Compelling UK Bike Helmet Safety Statistics & Facts 2023
In the United Kingdom, a government assessment is underway this year. With the goal of requiring all cyclists to wear helmets.
The required wearing of helmets was ‘sure to be highlighted in the consultation’. According to Transport Minister Jesse Norman.
The consultation was a wide-ranging look at road safety for cyclists. However, there are substantial pro and con arguments for wearing helmets.
The usage of cycling helmets is a hot topic of discussion. Do they truly protect bikers? or do they only offer them a false feeling of security, leading to more accidents? The age-old debate is whether they really save lives.
What are the Compelling UK Bike Helmet Safety Statistics & Facts?
May is National Bike Month, and bicycle-related mortality is spiking in the summer. Now is a great opportunity to implement some tried-and-true injury-prevention methods before sharing the road with cars.
- Bicycling is becoming more popular for fitness, entertainment, and transportation. Unfortunately, all vulnerable road users are seeing an increase in injuries and deaths.
- Adults are more likely than children to die in a bike-motor vehicle incident, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), with adults accounting for 88 percent of bicyclist deaths.
- Brain injuries are thought to account for the majority of the 80,000 cycling-related head injuries treated in emergency rooms each year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
- The GHSA proposes a “Three E” approach to bicycle safety, which includes engineering, education, and enforcement.
Wearing a properly fitting helmet is an important part of schooling. A cyclist’s greatest line of protection is a bike helmet.
Which reduces the chance of brain damage by more than half. The protective advantage is significantly greater for serious head traumas.
- “When it’s on your head right, it might save your life,” Consumer Reports says.
- Until recently, helmet ratings mainly assessed serious injuries, like skull fractures, and ignored more frequent but less severe collisions that might nonetheless cause concussions and other injuries.
A new grading system based on Virginia Tech University research and the IIHS assesses these more typical effects.
- “We want to equip cyclists with an evidence-based tool to assist them to make better decisions about how to reduce their risk of harm using these ratings.”
We also expect that the knowledge will be used by manufacturers to enhance their products,” says Steve Rawson, head of the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab and associate professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics.
- Notably, price does not seem to be a strong predictor of performance, but helmet type does. Road helmets, which have an elongated, aerodynamic design, are more efficient than spherical “urban” helmets, which have fewer vents and thicker shells.
More than half of individuals in the United States say they never wear a helmet, and more than half of bikers killed in collisions in 2016 didn’t.
- For comprehensive preventative and safety measures, such as driving safely and soberly, limiting speed and distractions, wearing seat belts, correctly fitting bicycle helmets, and more, public awareness is required.
- Nearly 20,000 individuals were correctly equipped with new helmets by hospital-based Think First chapters in 2018. “
Use your thinking to protect your body; wear a helmet every time you ride,” we advise at Think First, whether for fitness, enjoyment, or transportation.
Do Bikers Benefit From Wearing Helmets?
“Every year, bicyclists account for around 2% of all deaths in motor vehicle accidents.”
Bicyclist mortality among children has decreased over time. Whereas deaths among bikers aged 20 and over have quadrupled since 1975.
The majority of biker fatalities result from head injuries, emphasizing the significance of wearing a bicycle helmet.”
“In 2018, 854 bikers were killed in collisions with motor vehicles.” This is an increase of 7% from the 800 bicyclists killed in 2017.
Although bike fatalities have declined by 15% since 1975, they have surged by 38% since 2010, when they were at their lowest point.
The majority of bicyclists killed in 2018 (87 percent) were aged 20 and above. Since 1975, mortality among bicycles under the age of 20 has decreased by 89 percent.
Whereas deaths among riders aged 20 and over have quadrupled. Since 1975, male bikers have been killed in much greater numbers than female bicycles in collisions with motor vehicles.
Female bikers have decreased by 3 times as much as male bicycles since 1975 (38 percent) (12 percent).
Cyclists in Australia risked penalties by riding without helmets in a protest against the country’s mandated helmet legislation in March of last year.
This legislation, on the other hand, was enacted after a campaign spearheaded by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
Indicating that many health experts feel that wearing a helmet helps riders involved in accidents. Read our article on worldwide cycling statistics
Statistics on the use of Bicycle Helmets (Facts & Figures)
- In the case of a collision, riding without a bicycle helmet considerably increases the chance of incurring a head injury.
Non-helmeted motorcyclists are 14 times more likely than helmeted riders to be involved in a deadly collision.
- Children aged 10 to 14 have a higher risk of traumatic brain injury from a bicycle-related incident than younger children.
Owing to a drop in helmet wear as children become older. Helmet usage is lowest (for all ages) among 11 to 14-year-olds (11 percent).
- Bike helmets must be properly fitted and positioned in order to be efficient in preventing harm.
According to one research, children who wear helmets that don’t fit well are twice as likely to get a brain injury in an accident as children who wear helmets that fit well.
Furthermore, youngsters who wear their helmets leaned back on their heads are 52 percent more likely to have a brain injury. Then those who wear them centered on their skulls.
- Children aged 14 and younger are five times more likely than older riders to be harmed in a bicycle-related collision.
- Among children aged 14 and younger, males account for 82 percent of bicycle-related fatalities and 70 percent of nonfatal injuries.
- Bicycle-related head injury kills most children between the ages of 10 and 14, particularly boys.
Do Helmets Actually Help Cyclists?
- Helmets for cyclists have been found to lower the risk of head and brain damage. Bicycle helmets have also been demonstrated to provide significant forehead and midface protection.
- A bicycle helmet is predicted to prevent 75 percent of all bicycle-related deaths among youngsters.
- Bicycle helmets used by all children aged 4 to 15 might avoid between 135 and 155 fatalities, 39,000 to 45,000 head injuries, and 18,000 to 55,000 scalp and facial injuries per year.
- The usage and ownership of kid helmets rises with the parent’s income and education level but falls with the child’s age.
When riding alongside others (peers or adults) who are also wearing a bicycle helmet, children are more inclined to do so.
In a nationwide study of children aged 8 to 12, 53% said a parental rule requiring them to wear a helmet would motivate them to do so, and 49% said they would wear a helmet if a state or local legislation mandated it. Read about Irelands Cycling statistics.
Laws and Regulations Regarding Bicycle Helmets
- Bicycle helmet legislation has been established in 21 states, the District of Columbia, and several towns, with the majority of them covering only juvenile riders.
- At least five states currently mandate youth participating in other wheeled sports to wear a helmet (e.g., for scooters, inline skates, skateboards).
- Bicycle helmet regulation has been demonstrated in many studies to be successful in promoting helmet wear and lowering bicycle-related mortality and injury among children covered by the law.
- Cycling-related deaths reduced by 60% in the five years after the implementation of a state-required bicycle helmet legislation for children aged 13 and younger, according to one study. The efficacy of these laws is improved when they are enforced by the police.
- According to recent research, children aged 14 and under wearing bicycle helmets was 58 percent higher in a county with a completely comprehensive bike helmet regulation than in a county with a less comprehensive rule. Read our cycling accident statistics.
Final Thoughts
Cycling is a popular and healthful sport for individuals of all ages. Bicycle accidents, on the other hand, are prevalent and often include motor vehicles.
Wearing a helmet lowered the chance of head or brain damage by two-thirds or more, regardless of whether the incident included a motor vehicle, according to the study.
Mid- and upper-face injuries were also significantly decreased; however, helmets did not prevent lower facial injuries.
Helmets protect bikers of all ages against head and face injuries caused by all sorts of incidents, including those involving motor vehicles. You may like to read our article on Irelands cycling statistics
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