CALIFORNIA:
Study Shows Helmet Wearing Legislation Reduces Injuries
Helmets reduce fatal and non-fatal head injuries in bicyclists. Legislation that requires the use of helmets increases helmet wearing. Only a few reports have linked a decrease in head injuries to helmet legislation.
In a recent study in Accident Analysis & Prevention, Brian Lee and his colleagues examined hospital discharge data for bicyclists in California during the period 1991-2000(1). Using a case-control design, they measured the proportion of bicycle-related head and other injuries for youths, 17 years and under as well as adult riders. In 1994, legislation was passed in California that required all bicyclists under 17 years of age to wear helmets. Comparing injuries in the pre- and post-legislation periods, the youth group experienced an 18.2% decrease in the proportion of head injuries in the before legislation, compared to the period after the legislation was passed. The adult group, not required to wear helmets, experienced no changes in the proportion of head injuries during the entire ten-year period.
No data were available to indicate the level of enforcement of the helmet legislation. No helmet use information was available. The only indicator measured in this analysis was the injury outcome – head injuries.
This study helps “connect the dots” – namely, it shows that helmet wearing legislation does result in decreased head injury. In California, helmet legislation only applies to children 17 years and under, and the reduction in the proportion of head injuries only occurred in this group. If helmet wearing legislation applied to everyone, we would expect to see the decrease in head injuries in all age groups.
REFERENCE
(1) Lee BHY, Schofer JL, Koppelman FS. Bicycle safety legislation and bicycle-related non-fatal injuries in California. Accident Analysis & Prevention 37;2005:93-102.
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