Main Points

• Emergency physicians see firsthand the tragic consequences of people who don’t wear bicycle helmets.
  
• Bicycle helmet use is the single most effective way to reduce head injuries and fatalities resulting from crashes.
  
• Not even half (43 percent) of 80 million riders in America wear helmets, and about 7 percent wear helmets only half the time they ride.
  
• More than 51,000 bicyclists have died in traffic crashes in U.S. since 1932 according to NHTSA.
  
• Only 20-25 percent of all bicyclists wear bicycle helmets according to NHTSA.
  
• In 2006, 773 bicyclists were killed and an additional 44,000 were injured in traffic crashes.
  
• Emergency physicians are actively engaged in educating the public about safety and wearing helmets. ACEP and its chapters advocate for adoption and enforcement of laws requiring bicyclists to wear helmets.

Why should people wear bicycle helmets?

• Bicycle helmets are nearly 90-percent effective in preventing brain injuries.
• 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.
• Nearly 800 bicyclists died and 44,000 were injured in 2006, — bike injuries were one of the most frequent causes of injury-related deaths for young children.
• Universal bicycle helmet use by children 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 NHTSA.
• 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 if it meets the standards.)
• Helmets should sit on top of the head in a level position and not rock forward and back or side to side. Helmet straps must be buckled snugly but not too tightly.
• The average cost of a bicycle helmet is $15 to $20. They 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 the NHTSA. 

What kinds of helmet laws are in place?

There is no federal law requiring bicycle helmets. As of January 2008, 21 states, the District of Columbia, and at least 149 municipal localities 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 a good example of wearing helmets themselves and require their children to wear helmets whenever they ride.
• People can promote helmet use by participating in or start a helmet campaign. 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 the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration at www.nhtsa.gov .