From: iglesias@draco.acs.uci.edu (Mike Iglesias)
Subject: Re: Helmet Safety: any reliable evidence?
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Organization: University of California, Irvine
Date: 24 Jul 92 23:13:53 GMT
Distribution: na

In article <1992Jul24.164118.20764@ccu.umanitoba.ca> feld@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Michael Feld) writes:
>Several Canadian provinces seem about to require bicyclists to wear
>approved helmets.  Aside from the civil liberties issues, the idea may
>be a good one -- certainly retailers will like it -- but I'd welcome
>something like scientific evidence that helmet wearing really does
>reduce death or serious injury.  So far the only non-anecdotal
>evidence I've encountered related exclusively to small kids.
>
>Anyone have, or know where I might otherwise find, statistical or
>other hard data on bicycle helmet safety?

Here's an article I saved about this:


From: karplus@cse.ucsc.edu (Kevin Karplus)
Subject: Re: Death by Injury
Date: 27 Nov 91 07:07:18 GMT
Reply-To: karplus@ce.ucsc.edu (Kevin Karplus)

For those interested in articles about the effectiveness of bike helmets,
here are some possibly relevant articles culled from MEDLINE:

 1. [Prevention of serious injuries due to bicycle riding].
      Schweiz Z Sportmed, 1991 Jun, 39(2):55-60.
 2. Physicians promoting bicycle helmets for children: a randomized trial...
      Am J Public Health, 1991 Aug, 81(8):1044-6.
 3. Helmet promotion in the emergency room following a bicycle injury: a...
      Pediatrics, 1991 Jul, 88(1):43-7.
 4. Promotion of bicycle helmet use among schoolchildren: a randomized...
      Can J Public Health, 1991 Mar-Apr, 82(2):92-4.
 5. Promoting bicycle helmets: a new focus for injury prevention.
      Indiana Med, 1991 Apr, 84(4):264-6.
 6. CMA launches bicycle-helmet campaign, hopes to reduce roadside carnage.
      Can Med Assoc J, 1991 Jun 1, 144(11):1498-9.
 7. The protective performance of bicyclists' helmets in accidents.
      Accid Anal Prev, 1991 Apr-Jun, 23(2-3):119-31.
 8. Bicycle road crashes during the fourteenth and fifteenth years of life.
      N Z Med J, 1991 Feb 27, 104(906):60-1.
 9. A case-control study of the effectiveness of bicycle safety helmets in...
      Am J Public Health, 1990 Dec, 80(12):1471-4.
10. [Preventive effects of bicycle helmets].
      Ugeskr Laeger, 1990 Sep 24, 152(39):2834-7.
11. How bicycle-related injuries change bicycling practices in children.
      Am J Dis Child, 1990 Aug, 144(8):928-9.
12. Bicycle-related injuries: a survey in a pediatric emergency department.
      Can Med Assoc J, 1990 Jul 15, 143(2):108-12.
13. The Seattle children's bicycle helmet campaign.
      Am J Dis Child, 1990 Jun, 144(6):727-31.
14. [Head and brain injuries in bicyclists].
      Harefuah, 1990 May 15, 118(10):575-6.
15. Advocating bicycle helmet use: a nursing issue.
      Imprint, 1990 Apr-May, 37(2):141-2.
16. Protective capability of bicycle helmets.
      Br J Sports Med, 1990 Mar, 24(1):55-60.
17. Attitudes toward bicycle helmet ownership and use by school-age children.
      Am J Dis Child, 1990 Jan, 144(1):83-6.
18. Promoting bicycle helmet use in children [news].
      N Y State J Med, 1990 Jan, 90(1):47.
19. Helmet protection from head injuries among recreational bicyclists.
      Am J Sports Med, 1990 Jan-Feb, 18(1):96-7.
20. Bicycle helmets for children.
      J Emerg Nurs, 1990 Jan-Feb, 16(1):36-40.
21. Bicycle helmet use by children. Evaluation of a community-wide helmet...
      JAMA, 1989 Oct 27, 262(16):2256-61.
22. Bicycle helmet subsidy program [letter].
      Can Med Assoc J, 1989 Oct 15, 141(8):765.
23. Paediatric bicycle injuries.
      Aust N Z J Surg, 1989 Sep, 59(9):719-24.
24. What school children need to learn about injury prevention.
      Public Health Rep, 1989 Jul-Aug, 104(4):385-8.
25. Barriers to bicycle helmet use among children. Results of focus groups...
      Am J Dis Child, 1989 Jun, 143(6):741-4.
26. Head injuries to pedal cyclists and the promotion of helmet use in...
      Accid Anal Prev, 1988 Jun, 20(3):177-85.
27. Bicycle helmet education project [letter].
      Am J Dis Child, 1988 Apr, 142(4):414-5.
28. Head injuries to children riding bicycles.
      Med J Aust, 1987 Jun 15, 146(12):619-21.
29. Do bicycle safety helmets reduce severity of head injury in real crashes?
      Accid Anal Prev, 1987 Jun, 19(3):183-90.

I hope that those arguing against helmet use read at least a few of these
articles.  (Note: I regard it as suicidally stupid not to wear a helmet
when riding, but do not favor mandatory helmet laws.)

Kevin Karplus


Newsgroups: rec.bicycles