NYCkayaker Bike Helmets

Thu Jun 29 10:34:17 EDT 2006

My apologies -- one last post on the subject. I just found this website, and
the statistics are amazing, so I couldn't resist one more post. Here is the
Web Site: 

http://www.helmets.org/stats.htm

And here are just a few quotes from that page of the web site (By the way,
this site is filled with independent studies from all around the world and
the conclusion is that most deaths and severe injuries from bicycle
accidents are preventable if a helmet is worn).... There are no statistics
on kayaking accidents that I could find, but I am sure that as the
popularity of our sport increases, there will be more deaths that could have
been prevented by wearing PFDs, spray skirts, and proper clothing.... Sio
here are those bike helmet statistics:

First, our own pick of Basic Numbers
from many sources:

    * There are 85 million bicycle riders in the US.

    * 720 bicyclists died in crashes with motor vehicles in the US in 2005.

    * About 540,000 bicyclists visit emergency rooms with injuries every
year. Of those, about 67,000 have head injuries, and 27,000 have injuries
serious enough to be hospitalized.

    * Bicycle crashes and injuries are under reported, since the majority
are not serious enough for emergency room visits.

    * 1 in 8 of the cyclists with reported injuries has a brain injury.

    * Two-thirds of the deaths here are from traumatic brain injury.

    * A very high percentage of cyclists' brain injuries can be prevented by
a helmet, estimated at anywhere from 45 to 88 per cent.

# Many years of potential life are lost because about half of the deaths are
children under 15 years old.

# Direct costs of cyclists' injuries due to not using helmets are estimated
at $81 million each year.

# Indirect costs of cyclists' injuries due to not using helmets are
estimated at $2.3 billion each year.

# Helmet use in the US varies by orders of magnitude in different areas and
different sectors of our society. White collar commuters probably reach 80
per cent, while inner city kids and rural kids would be 10 per cent or less.
Overall, our best wild guess is probably no more than 25 per cent. Sommers
Point, NJ, where a state helmet law is in effect, found that only 24 of the
359 students who rode to school in one week of the Winter of 2002 wore
helmets (6 per cent) until the School District adopted a helmet rule. North
Carolina observed 17 per cent statewide before their law went into effect in
2001.

# Helmets are cheap. The typical discount store price has risen from under
$10 to about $15, but there are still models available for under $10 at
major retailers. 

2005 Statistics from the Dept of Transportation-NHTSA
Released April 20. 2006.

Bicyclist deaths in motor vehicle crashes: 720 (725 in 2004)
Bicyclist injuries in motor vehicle crashes: 45,000 (41,000 in 2004)

Statistics from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Fatality Facts: Bicycles - 2003

Only 1 percent of motor vehicle-related deaths are bicyclists. Among a
majority of those killed, the most serious injuries are to the head, so it's
important for bicyclists to wear helmets. Helmet use has been estimated in
one study to reduce head injury risk by 85 percent. Nineteen states and the
District of Columbia have helmet laws applying to young bicyclists; none of
these laws applies to all riders. Local ordinances in a few states do
require some or all bicyclists to wear helmets. A nationwide phone survey
estimated that state helmet use laws increase the probability that a rider
will wear a helmet by 18 percent. Helmets are important for riders of all
ages, especially because adult bicyclists represent more than threequarters
of bicycle deaths.

# 619 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles in 2003. This is
7 percent fewer than in 2002 and down 38 percent since 1975.

# Eighty-five percent of bicyclists killed in 2003 reportedly weren't
wearing helmets.

Injuries to Bicyclists
>From A Monograph by the Johns Hopkins Injury Prevention Center
Sponsored by the Snell Memorial Foundation

Each year in the United States;

    * more than 900 bicyclists are killed - - - [Falling since this was
done: in 1997 it was 808]
    * 20,000 are admitted to hospitals
    * 580,000 receive emergency room treatment 

For the population as a whole, there are approximately:

    * 1.8 billion bicycle trips
    * 300 injuries per million trips
    * 1 death in every 2 million trips (0.5 per million) 

Helmets are needed because head injuries in bicyclists are noted in:

    * 65,000 emergency room cases and 7,700 hospital admissions annually
    * about 40 per cent of bicyclists admitted to hospitals
    * an estimated 70 to 80 per cent of fatally injured bicyclists 

Bicyclists hospitalized with head injuries are 20 times as likely to die as
those without.
Bicyclist injury rates per million trips are highest at age 5 to 15.
Bicyclist death rates per million trips are highest above age 50.
Bicyclist death rates per 100,000 population are highest at age 10-14.
Fifty-six per cent of fatally injured bicyclists are age 20 or older.
Death rates for male bicyclists age 20-54 have substantially increased in
recent years.
Compared with females, males;

    * make 2.5 times as many bicycle trips
    * are 2.4 times as likely to be killed, per trip
    * have a death rate per 100,000 population that is 6 times as high 

The death rate per million trips is 8 times as high from 10 PM to 1 AM as
from 9 AM to 1 PM.
Motor vehicles are involved in 90-92 per cent of bicyclist deaths and 12 per
cent of injuries.
One third of bicyclist fatalities occur on roads with speed limits of 55 mph
or higher.
Two-thirds of fatally injured bicyclists are tested for alcohol; 32 per cent
of those tested have been drinking.
Bicyclist death rates per trip or per person mile of travel greatly exceed
the rates for car occupants.

Statistics from the Safe Kids USA
Please check their Web page for their latest Fact Sheet on Bicycle Injury.

Injuries to Children

      Deaths and Injuries
          o In 2001, nearly 314,600 children ages 14 and under were treated
in hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries. Nearly half (47
percent) of children ages 14 and under hospitalized for bicycle-related
injuries are diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury.

          o In 2001, children ages 14 and under accounted for 36 percent of
bicyclists injured in motor vehicle crashes. It is estimated that collisions
with motor vehicles account for nearly 90 percent of all bicycle-related
deaths and 10 percent of all nonfatal bicycle-related injuries

          o More than 40 percent of all bicycle-related deaths due to head
injuries and approximately three-fourths of all bicycle-related head
injuries occue among children ages 14 and under.

          o Children can be seriously hurt from colliding with handlebars
during a fall, even in low speed bike crashes. One national study of
seriously injured bicyclists found that handlebar impacts accounted for 22
percent of injuries among nonhead-injured children. Improper bicycle sizing
may predispose a child to falling and expose more of his trunk to the
handlebar. 
      When and Where Bicycle Deaths and Injuries Occur
          o Children are more likely to die from motor vehicle-related
bicycle crashes at nonintersection locations (74 percent), during the months
of April through October (81 percent) and between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. (55
percent).

          o Nearly 60 percent of all childhood bicycle-related deaths occur
on minor roads.The typical bicycle/motor vehicle crash occurs within 1 mile
of the bicyclist's home.

          o Children ages 4 and under are more likely to be injured in
nonstreet locations around the home (e.g., driveway, garage, yard) than are
children ages 5 to 14.

          o Children ages 14 and under are nearly four times more likely to
be injured riding in non-daylight hours (e.g., at dawn, dusk or night) than
during the daytime.

          o Among children ages 14 and under, more than 80 percent of
bicycle-related fatalities are associated with the bicyclist's behavior,
including riding into a street without stopping, turning left or swerving
into traffic that is coming from behind, running a stop sign, and riding
against the flow of traffic. 
      Who is at Risk

          o Riding without a bicycle helmet significantly increases the risk
of sustaining a head injury in the event of a crash. Nonhelmeted riders are
14 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than helmeted riders.

          o Children ages 10 to 14 are at greater risk for traumatic brain
injury from a bicycle-related crash compared with younger children, most
likely because helmet use declines as children age. Helmet use is lowest
(for all ages) among children ages 11 to 14 (11 percent).

          o Correct fit and proper positioning are essential to the
effectiveness of bike helmets at reducing injury. One study found that
children whose helmets fit poorly are at twice the risk of head injury in a
crash compared with children whose helmet fit is excellentIn addition,
children who wear their helmets tipped back on their heads have a 52 percent
greater risk of head injury than those who wear their helmets centered on
their heads.

          o Children ages 14 and under are five times more likely to be
injured in a bicycle-related crash than older riders.

          o Males account for 82 percent of bicycle-related deaths and 70
percent of nonfatal injuries among children ages 14 and under.Children ages
10 to 14, especially males, have the highest death rate of all ages from
bicycle-related head injury. 
      Bicycle Helmet Effectiveness

          o Bicycle helmets have been shown to reduce the risk of head
injury by as much as 85 percent and the risk of brain injury by as much as
88 percent.Bicycle helmets have also been shown to offer substantial
protection to the forehead and midface.

          o It is estimated that 75 percent of bicycle-related fatalities
among children could be prevented with a bicycle helmet.

          o Universal use of bicycle helmets by children ages 4 to 15 could
prevent between 135 and 155 deaths, between 39,000 and 45,000 head injuries,
and between 18,000 and 55,000 scalp and face injuries annually.

          o Child helmet ownership and use increases with the parent's
income and education level, yet decreases with the child's age. Children are
more likely to wear a bicycle helmet if riding with others (peers or adults)
who are also wearing one.In a national survey of children ages 8 to 12, 53
percent reported that a parental rule for helmet use would persuade them to
wear a helmet, and 49 percent would wear a helmet if a state or community
law required it. 
      Bicycle Helmet Laws and Regulations

          o Currently, 19 states, the District of Columbia and numerous
localities have enacted some form of bicycle helmet legislation, most of
which cover only young riders.At least five states now require children to
wear a helmet while participating in other wheeled sports (e.g., for
scooters, inline skates, skateboards).

          o Various studies have shown bicycle helmet legislation to be
effective at increasing bicycle helmet use and reducing bicycle-related
death and injury among children covered under the law.One example shows that
in the five years following the passage of a state mandatory bicycle helmet
law for children ages 13 and under, bicycle-related fatalities decreased by
60 percent. Police enforcement increases the effectiveness of these laws.

          o One recent study reported that the rate of bicycle helmet use by
children ages 14 and under was 58 percent greater in a county with a fully
comprehensive bike helmet law than in a similar county with a less
comprehensive law. 

      Health Care Costs and Savings

          o The total annual cost of traffic-related bicyclist death and
injury among children ages 14 and under is more than $2.2 billion.

          o Every dollar spent on a bike helmet saves society $30 in direct
medical costs and other costs to society.

          o If 85 percent of all child cyclists wore bicycle helmets in one
year, the lifetime medical cost savings could total between $109 million and
$142 million.

          o A review of hospital discharge data in Washington state found
that treatment for nonfatal bicycle injuries among children ages 14 and
under costs more than $113 million each year, an average of $218,000 per
injured child. 

Statistics from Transport Canada
Most Canadian deaths were unhelmeted riders
Transport Canada statistics show that 88 per cent of the 80 cyclists who
died nationwide in 2001 were not wearing helmets.

-----Original Message-----
From: nyckayaker-bounces at rockandwater.net
[mailto:nyckayaker-bounces at rockandwater.net] On Behalf Of David Gottlieb
Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 10:00 AM
To: 'Rick Langer'; nyckayaker at rockandwater.net
Subject: Re: NYCkayaker Bike Helmets

Good point, Rick. And this is my last comment on this subject; and I will
quote from a website on bike injuries, and maybe those who don't wear
helmets will reconsider:

"Bicycle accidents cause untold pain and suffering to innocent victims.
Accidents can take many forms and have numerous causes. Accidents may
involve motor vehicles, or result from a simple tumble by a playing child.
Unique to bicycle accident is the number of head injuries. In 1996, 757
bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles. In 1996, bicyclists
younger than 16 years old accounted for 32% of those killed in traffic
crashes. According to reports, 96% of bicyclists killed in 1996 were not
wearing helmets. Each year about 153,000 children get treatment in hospital
emergency departments for bicycle-related head injuries. In 1991, societal
costs associated with bicycle-related head injury or deaths resulting from
head injury were more than $3 billion.

The proper use of approved bicycle helmets have been shown to reduce the
risk for head injury by as much as 85% and the risk for brain injury by as
much as 88%. It is estimated that 75% of bicycle-related fatalities among
children could be prevented if all children on bicycles wore helmets.
Universal use of bicycle helmets by children aged 4 through 15 years old
would prevent between 135 and 155 deaths, between 39,000 and 45,000 head
injuries, and between 18,000 and 55,000 scalp and face injuries annually.
There are states and local laws requiring the use of helmets, particularly
for young riders."

NY is one of those states....

-----Original Message-----
From: nyckayaker-bounces at rockandwater.net
[mailto:nyckayaker-bounces at rockandwater.net] On Behalf Of Rick Langer
Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 6:13 AM
To: nyckayaker at rockandwater.net
Subject: NYCkayaker Bike Helmets

Being involved in a serious bike accident and dying might be preferable to 
getting an non-repairable head injury.  One walk through a head trauma unit 
will instantly cure the "helmetless" proponents.

Rick Langer 

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public service offered to the kayaking community by the Hudson River
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To unsubscribe or change delivery options:
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