Wearing a helmet on a motorcycle reduces the risk of a spinal injury as well as a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in an accident, a recent study has revealed.
A study from John Hopkins University is cited in Motorcycleusa.com. Using data from more than 40,500 accidents, it highlights a 22 percent reduction in cervical spine injuries for riders who wear helmets compared to those who do not wear a helmet.
The study results contradict beliefs by some in the anti-helmet movement that the heavier weight of a helmet can increase spinal injury. In addition to reducing the risk of cervical spine injury, the study’s findings also confirm the other safety benefits of wearing a helmet. Helmeted riders showed a 65 percent reduction in traumatic brain injury and a 37 percent decrease in death.
But could better helmets save lives? Scientists believe that they have the technology to redesign helmets to be more effective.
We have noted numerous causes where motorcyclists who failed to wear helmets were killed, including the death of a 20-year-old motorcyclist who was not wearing a helmet. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that helmets reduce the likelihood of crash fatality by 37 percent. Although wearing a helmet protects motorcyclists’ heads from directly impacting the ground, trauma to the brain can be sustained when the brain hits the inside of its protective covering — the skull — during the impact of the motorcycle crash. The results can be devastating.
Motorcycle riders have to wear helmets by law in Virginia (VA). We are saddened by the appalling loss of life and by the fact some deaths or serious brain injuries could likely have been avoided if the rider was wearing a helmet. Our firm has also taken an active role in calling for children on bicycles and scooters to wear helmets.
See this video about how to safely wear a motorcycle helmet.
DM