The Latest From Michelle

Helmets Matter.

Ahh…it must be summer. There are children everywhere! In the last week, I have, unfortunately, nearly hit two of them. Both times, it was a kid on a bike who darted out in front of my car, likely never saw me and should be glad that I saw him.

At my house, there is a five year old who is becoming very confident on a two wheeler.  He is testing the boundaries of where he should stop at the bottom of the driveway and sometimes, he thinks brakes are completely optional. He also truly believes that the recently installed kickstand actually makes him rider faster (go figure). I have to believe that we aren’t the only ones with a budding speed racer on our hands.

This all serves to bring me to the topic of bike helmets. Neither of the kids I encountered wore helmets but the little boy in my driveway certainly does.

Yes…bike helmets, brain buckets, skid lids. Whatever you want to call them…you gotta wear them and you gotta get your kids to wear them too. In many areas, it is just the law. In others, it’s just a good idea. Here are a few reasons: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration numbers…Kids between 5-15 years old represented about 14% of the cycling deaths in 2008. According to The children’s Safety Network…Over half of the cycling deaths in young people under the age of 20 occurred due to head injuries. 

Here are a few that surprised me. Also from the National HIghway Traffic Safety Administration…the average cyclist killed in the US in 2008 was 41 years old. 41!  For those who are injured but survive, the average age is 31. 31! I was surprised to read that alcohol played a part in a percentage of the incidents (the cyclist was drunk 23% of the time). That one makes me momentarily speechless.  

Gallup surveys show that half of cyclists wear helmets at least part of the time but the number of cyclists that always wear their helmet drops sharply. The vast majority of people surveyed support childhood helmet laws but  that number drops off when asked about adult helmet laws. What’s the deal? Does this fall into the category of, “I never wore a helmet and I turned out fine”? Maybe so…but when I rode a bicycle as a kid, I had a sidewalk to ride on and I didn’t have to worry that the driver at the light was texting or talking on a cell phone. (Not that would I have known what either of those was….). But I would have been safer that day that I crashed my bike on the way home from the library if I had worn a helmet, even if I did turn out mostly okay anyway.

I’m not saying that a helmet is the answer to all head injuries. I believe helmets all have a little sticker on them that says as much. But they are known to dramatically reduce the risk of head injury, even if you end up getting the super-dorky cheapo version.

So, here’s the bottom line. If you a helmetless cyclist, please buy one. Then wear it. If you already have one, what are you waiting for? When you wear one, please wear it correctly. I have a real issue with people who perch them on the backs of their heads. Personally, I like and would like to keep my frontal lobe, thank you very much. If you are a parent, put a lid on your kids and then make it a rule. The wheels on the bike don’t go round and round until the helmet is on. That goes for you too, Mom and Dad.  

And one more thing; if you are a driver, watch out for the little ones, the medium ones and the big ones who are darting around on two wheels (and the teeny ones on three and four wheels). Please.

And if you drive by our house, make sure my little boy is stopping at the black posts and not an inch farther. Thanks.

For help choosing a helmet for cycling and other sports, please visit the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission at http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/349.pdf.

Brains matter.

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