Dr. Allan Horowitz, published newspaper article, The Liberal, Copyright June 12, 1991

Last week, I began a short series of articles which I hope will push all those who ride a bicycle to wear a helmet while doing so.

Casual, weekend riders and those who we see on those long, highway treks must wear a helmet if they have any hope of surviving an accident. If you have any doubts about this fact, find a copy of last week’s Liberal and read my column.

If you still have doubts, continue reading this and next week’s articles. If you still have doubts, it is likely that you have fallen and damaged your head once too often already.

I will now continue to present some of the statistics and findings from the various research projects and other studies which have been done in the last few years.

–           Of 21 cyclists who reported falling and hitting their heads during the prior 18 months, eight were wearing helmets when they fell. Of these eight, none reported a head injury.

–           By comparison, of the 13 cyclists from above who were not wearing helmets when they fell, seven did have head injuries.

–           In 1986, in Seattle, a program was initiated to encourage cyclists to wear helmets. Physicians were encouraged to instruct their patients, the media was used extensively, discount coupons were given for the purchase of helmets, and bicycle clubs and retail outlets were targeted to try to increase the numbers of those who wear helmets. The use of helmets increased from five per cent to 16 per cent as a result of this campaign. This is obviously good, but not good enough.

–           1,300 deaths per year are reported in the United States from bicycle injuries. Most of these injuries are head injuries.

–           At one hospital, a study was done on 235 patients who came for treatment of head injuries they had received while bicycling. 7 per cent of these patients were wearing helmets at the time of the accident, compared to a control group of other bicycling injuries (not head injuries) where 24 per cent were wearing helmets.

–           In the above study, of the 99 cyclists who received a severe brain injury, only four per cent were wearing helmets.

–           Statistics show that wearing a helmet can reduce risk of brain injury by 85 per cent

–           Another study (Canadian) confirmed a boy:girl ratio of head injuries (not necessarily from cycling) of 2:1, with a peakof 3.5:1 at around seven years of age. Injuries were most common in summer and spring, and most were from falls. The single most common cause of head injuries in children was from bicycle accidents, which accounted for 12 per cent of all head injuries in this study.

As an aside, not necessarily related to our present discussion of head injuries resulting from bicycling accidents, but certainly important, I want to give the other statistics from this head injury study. Think about these numbers and what you might do to prevent a tragedy.

Nature of Falls in 581 children: From a bicycle, 19 per cent; from furniture, 14 per cent; at play, 14 per cent; down stairs, 14 per cent; during sports, 11 per cent; from a height, nine per cent; on ice, three per cent; from playground equipment, three per cent; from a horse, two per cent; accidentally dropped, two per cent; other, eight per cent.

Not only should these numbers tell you that your children should wear helmets while on their bike, but it should also open your eyes regarding where head injuries occur. Notice that the next three most common ways a child injures their head are from every day activities they do while in their own home.

Next week’s column will detail more of the horrors of not wearing a helmet while riding your bike.

Allan Horowitz, D.C., is a chiropractor practicing in Richmond, Hill and writes this public service column.

Address your questions to Allan Horowitz, care of The Liberal, Box 390, Richmond Hill, L4C 4Y6.