“Cycling is a fabulous way to keep fit and active. At Headway, we are passionate about promoting safe cycling, while supporting calls to make it safer for people of all ages to take to their bikes and get pedalling.” – Headway UK
Watch James Cracknell’s personal appeal “Use Your Head, Use Your Helmet”
Oxford Head Injury Services fully support this appeal as we have seen Service Users sustain life-changing brain injuries as a result of cycling accidents. An accident can sadly happen to anyone, at anytime, whether they be an experienced rider, novice, young or old.
We believe that all cyclists should wear helmets, particularly vulnerable road users such as children who do not possess the same level of competency or experience as adults. We believe helmets should be compulsory for all child cyclists while supporting calls for a range of additional measures to improve cyclists’ safety, including more dedicated cycle lanes and educational campaigns aimed at both cyclists and motorists.
Oxford Head Injury Services offer local primary schools educational talks on road safety and the importance of wearing a cycling helmet; we try to offer these alongside the school’s cycling proficiency tests for year 5 and 6 students.
“Cycle helmets save lives and can prevent people sustaining lifelong brain injuries. This fact has been proven by numerous peer-reviewed, published scientific studies and is shared by well-respected professional bodies including the British Medical Association, the Association of Paediatric Emergency Medicine, the Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust and numerous doctors and neurosurgeons across the UK.” – Headway UK
Watch above A feature on BBC’s Watchdog Test House examines the importance of cycle helmets in preventing death and serious injury. The feature includes an interview from Consultant Neurosurgeon Colin Shieff, as well as covering the moving story of Ryan Smith, who sustained a severe brain injury in 2013 after a cycling accident with no helmet.
What the experts say
“Mandatory bicycle helmet legislation is no longer considered a barrier to cycling participation…The Department of Transport and Main Roads conducted a household survey in 2011, this showed that concerns about safety, trip distance, weather conditions, traffic volume and speed and hilly terrain rate more highly than mandatory helmet legislation as a reasons why people choose to not cycle in Queensland.”
Scott Emerson MP, Shadow Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Queensland Government (letter dated 13 June 2014 while Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Queensland Government)
“Local surveys conducted by the Department of Transport suggest that compulsory helmet wearing has had little impact on recent cycling patterns…with overall growth rates for cycling of 18 per cent between 2009 and 2011. The Government of Western Australia considers mandatory bicycle helmet legislation to be an important element in its strategies to improve cycling safety.”
Liza Harvey MLA, Minister for Police, Tourism, Road Safety, Women’s Interests, Government of Western Australia
“I see first-hand the effect a traumatic brain injury can have. It is my job and that of my colleagues to not only save lives but try to make those lives worth living. Cycle helmets offer vital protection to one’s fragile skull and can save lives and significantly reduce damage to the brain in the event of an impact. If every cyclist wore a helmet the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured each year would be reduced.
“You would never think about taking your laptop about without putting it in a case. Why would you not do the same for your own brain – the most precious computer you will ever own and for which there are no spare parts?”
Dr Andy Eynon, Consultant in Neurosciences Intensive Care, Wessex Neurological Centre
“Medical bodies such as the British Medical Association and the Association of Paediatric Emergency Medicine clearly state that cycle helmets can save lives. As a neurosurgeon at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge and Honorary Secretary of the British Society of Neurological Surgeons, my professional opinion is one of complete agreement.”
Peter Kirkpatrick, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge
“The reality is that even a minor injury can have a major impact. Therefore, anything that can limit damage to the brain by lessening the risk of skull fracture or reducing the amount of energy absorbed by the brain upon impact can have a significant effect on a patient’s outcome. Cycle helmets achieve both of these objectives.”
Prof David J Sharp, IHR Research Professor & Consultant Neurologist, National Institute for Health Research
“The SBNS considers that there is sufficient body of evidence to support a public policy promoting the wearing of cycle helmets by children and adults. The SBNS notes that children are particularly vulnerable to cranio-facial injury and recommends that legislation is enacted to make the use of cycle helmets compulsory in children.”
Richard Nelson, President, Society of British Neurological Surgeons (letter dated 17 June 2014)
Key Cycle Helmet Facts
- In 2014, there were 45% fewer reported road traffic casualties than a decade earlier, with every road category of road user showing a decline – except pedal cycles. (Department for Transport)
- The number of reported pedal cycling casualties (of all severities from killed or seriously injured through to a minor injury) was 29% higher in 2014 than the 2005-2009 average – with more than 21,000 accidents recorded. (Department for Transport)
- In comparison, other vulnerable road user groups recorded declines in reported casualties over the same period (motorcyclists -11%, pedestrians -17%). (Department for Transport)
- Leading independent scientific research experts at the Transport Research Laboratory have concluded that ‘Assuming they are a good fit and worn correctly, cycle helmets should be effective at reducing the risk of head injury, in particular cranium fracture, scalp injury and intracranial (brain) injury’. (The potential for cycle helmets to prevent injury – a review of the evidence; D Hynd, R Cuerden, S Reid and S Adams, Transport Research Laboratory, 2009)
- There is no reliable evidence to suggest introducing cycle helmets laws has a long-term detrimental effect on cycling participation.
- A Cochrane review considering five case-control studies from the UK, Australia and the USA illustrates a large and consistent protective effect from cycle helmets, reducing the risk of brain injury by up to 88% and injury to the upper and mid face by 65% (Helmets for preventing head and facial injuries in bicyclists, Thompson et al.. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2000)
