If you learned to ride a bicycle as a kid, chances are your mother told you to always wear a helmet. From local law enforcement officials in Farmington, Utah to auto accident lawyer professionals in the Midwest, everyone seems to extoll the benefits of bicycle helmets.
But are bicycle helmets really as beneficial as we think they are? Bicycle enthusiasts from Farmington to the East Coast have cited statistics that found bicycle helmets reduced injuries by 85 percent, or at least 60 percent — but recent studies suggest those values were grossly overinflated.
While older studies looked at helmets and bicycle injuries, they failed to account for collisions between a car and a bicycle — the most common cause of bicycle auto accident injuries. In addition, no researchers have been able to replicate the 85 percent study — a red flag in scientific research.
According to a recent study from the Institute of Transport Economics in Oslo, Norway found that bike helmets reduce the risk of head injury by a mere 33 percent — and actually increase the risk of neck injuries. Other studies have found a head injury reduction of 10 percent to 40 percent; certainly nothing compared to the oft-quoted 85 percent statistic.
That’s bad news for bicycle proponents and lawyer professionals alike; how can auto accident head injuries be reduced, if not with bicycle helmets?
Ski and snowboard helmets might seem like a plausible alternative. Ski and snowboard helmets have more insulation and a harder shell, and are designed for high-speed crashes. Unfortunately, ski and snowboard helmets don’t seem to fare too well in reducing traumatic head injuries, either. While ski and snowboard helmets can reduce the risk of minimal head injuries, such as scalp lacerations, by 30 percent to 50 percent, they do not appear to reduce the risk of more serious head injuries such as skull fracture or concussion.
So what can bicyclists in Farmington and elsewhere do to avoid a nasty auto accident injury — and a trip to the local lawyer? The answer could lie with motorcycle helmets.
Motorcycle helmets are the cream of the crop of motor vehicle helmets. Motorcycle helmets have been proven to reduce risk of head injury by 69 percent, and risk of death by 42 percent. And that’s on a motorcycle, which can easily travel at speeds upwards of 200 mph. Not only that, motorcycle helmets are the only kind of helmets that can protect against head injuries due to rotational forces — a major factor in serious bicycle and auto accident head injuries.
For serious bicyclists looking to avoid traumatic brain injury — or a trip to the personal injury lawyer in Farmington — motorcycle helmets may just be the way to go.
Auto accident injuries among bicyclists are no joking matter. If you or someone you know gets injured due to a collision with a motor vehicle, contact your local lawyer in Farmington or elsewhere as soon as possible.