Research published in the latest edition of the American journal Pediatrics provides support for Headway's assertion that bicycle helmets should be made compulsory for children.
The study examined bicycle-related mortality rates in Ontario, Canada, from 1991 to 2002, among cyclists aged 1-15 years of age and 16 years-of-age and over. The goal was to determine the effect of legislation introduced in Ontario in October 1995, which made helmet use on public roads compulsory for under-18s.
The results showed that there were 362 bicycle-related deaths in the period of 1991-2002. Of these, 107 were children aged between one and 15-years-old. Only nine of the 107 children who died were reported to have been wearing a helmet, three in the pre-legislation period from 1991-1995 and six in the post-legislation period from 1996 - 2002. After mandatory helmet use was put into effect, deaths per year fell 52%, from 13 to six, in the one to 15-year-old age group. In contrast, deaths in the 16-years-of-age and over group, of which the majority of people weren't required to wear a helmet, rose slightly from 21 to 22 per year.
The researchers report that the results demonstrate a significant reduction in deaths among those required to wear a bicycle helmet by law and that the legislation made a significant contribution to this. They suggest that the findings provide support for continued enforcement of the law as it applies to under-18s and also for its extension to include adults.
Reference
Wesson, D., Stephens, D., Lam, K., Parsons, D., Spence, L. and Parkin, P. (2008) Trends in pediatric and adult bicycling deaths before and after passage of a bicycle helmet law, Pediatrics, 122; 605-610.
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