Main Points

• Emergency physicians see firsthand the tragic consequences of people who don’t wear bicycle helmets.
• Helmet use is the single most effective way to reduce bicycle head injuries and fatalities from crashes.
• Only about one-fourth (20 to 25 percent) of all bicyclists wear bicycle helmets (NHTSA). Nearly 700 bicyclists were killed and an additional 44,000 were injured in traffic crashes in 2007.
• Emergency physicians are actively engaged in educating the public about safety and wearing helmets. ACEP and its chapters advocate  adopting and enforcing laws requiring bicyclists to wear helmets.
• Everyone is only one step away from a medical emergency.

Why should people wear bicycle helmets?

• Bicycle helmets are nearly 90percent effective in preventing brain injuries.
  • Universal bicycle helmet use by children ages 4 to 15 would prevent 39,000 to 45,000 head injuries and 18,000 to 55,000 scalp and face injuries annually, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
• More than 300,000 children are treated in emergency departments with bike injuries every year and nearly two-thirds (70 percent) were because of head injuries that could have been prevented by wearing a helmet.
  • About 540,000 bicyclists seek emergency care with injuries every year. Of those, about 67,000 have head injuries, and 27,000 have injuries serious enough to be hospitalized.

What kind of helmet should be worn?

Riders should wear bicycle helmets that meet or exceed the safety standards developed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (A sticker on the inside of the helmet will indicate whether it meets CPSC standards.)

• Helmets should sit on top of the head in a level position and not rock forward and backward or side to side. Helmet straps must be buckled snugly but not too tightly. 

The average cost of a bicycle helmet can be as low as $15 to $20. Helmets are important for bicyclists of all ages because older bicyclists represent more than three-quarters of bicycle deaths.

What are the estimated costs of bicycle-related injuries related to not wearing helmets?

The direct costs of bicycle-related injuries and deaths (for all ages) are estimated to be $81 million each year. The indirect costs are estimated to be $2.3 billion each year. Since injuries can endure through a person’s lifetime, it is estimated that every dollar spent on a bike helmet can save society $30 in direct medical costs and other costs, according to NHTSA.

What kinds of bicycle helmet laws are in place?

There is no federal law requiring bicycle helmets. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have enacted age-specific bicycle helmet laws. Most of these laws cover bicyclists under 16. Fourteen states have no state or local helmet laws at all (Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming).

What is the best way to get more people to wear bicycle helmets?

• Parents should set good examples of wearing helmets and require their children to wear helmets whenever they ride.
• People can promote helmet use by participating in or starting a helmet campaign to require helmets. Enactment of laws requiring use of bicycle helmets, along with education and appropriate enforcement, are likely to be the most promising ways to increase helmet usage in the United States.

For more information on health and safety topics, visit www.EmergencyCareForYou.org and National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration at www.nhtsa.gov.