Bicycle education programs and mandatory bicycle helmet legislation are effective at increasing helmet use, and therefore, reducing bicycle-related death and injury. In 1995, more than 250 children ages 14 and under died in bicycle-related crashes. Motor vehicles were involved in 230 of these deaths. In 1996, more than 350,000 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries. Collision with a motor vehicle increases the risk of death, severity of injury and the probability of sustaining a head injury.
Young children suffer a higher proportion of head injuries than older children.
The risk of sustaining an injury in non-daylight conditions is nearly four times greater than riding during the daytime. Children age 14 and under are five times more likely to be injured in a bicycle-related crash than older riders. Children under age 10 are at greater risk for serious injury and are more likely to suffer head injuries than older riders. Males ages 10 to 14 have the highest death rate from bicycle-related head injury of all ages. Riding without a bicycle helmet increases the risk of sustaining a head injury in the event of a crash.