Why Aren’t You Wearing a Bicycle Helmet?

One benefit of the recent pandemic has been the increased amount of time people have had to get out and enjoy nature. This especially includes bike riding. Bike sales are up over 110% nationally and even more in some local shops.

Add to that, more miles of bike lanes and multi-use paths than ever before—especially in our own community!  Recent additions include a new trail on Johnson Road, with a new northside paved entrance to Skiles Test, sidewalks on Hague Road from Fall Creek to 82nd Street, and sidewalks on 75th Street now from Hague all the way to Binford. Plus, new crosswalks on Binford at 71st, 65th, and 62nd Streets.

So, why are so many people not wearing bicycle helmets?

But as I see so many out enjoying time on the bike, I keep asking myself one question. Why are so many people not wearing helmets?

This is especially true of bikers traveling on city streets in the flow of traffic, where bicycle-motor vehicle accidents are far more likely.

Did you know that cycling is the leading cause of head injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms? There are almost twice as many head injuries from cycling than there are from football.

One-third of non-fatal bicycle injuries are to the head and according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a majority of those are brain injuries. 

Wearing a properly fitted bicycle helmet can reduce your risk of a head injury by more than 50%–and the protection benefits are even higher for severe head injuries.

More than half of all adults killed in bicycle crashes in 2016 were not wearing helmets. And even more shocking is the statistic that adults are more likely to die in bicycle-accidents than children, with adults accounting for 88 percent of bicycle fatalities.

The research is indisputable.

Bicycle helmets save lives—and significantly reduce your odds of sustaining a head injury following a bicycle accident. So, if you like your brain and want to protect it while you are out enjoying time on the bike, be sure to get everyone in your family a helmet and ensure they always properly wear it—no matter where you are riding!