Some US figures about children & cycle accidents
Some American generated facts about kids and cycles. I saw these a few years ago, I thought they may be of interest to you guys after the rather drawn out helmet debates I see on here.
Just so you know where I’m coming from, I’m a health care professional in the UK, I teach this stuff as well as see patients, I cycle, and I chose not to wear a helmet every day I ride, because last time I checked, I was still allowed a choice. Interesting figures anyway, but I’d be careful about transferring them to “adults” and to the UK…..it’s not always that clear cut.
1. 300 children die each year from cycle related injuries. 90% of these deaths are as a result of collisions with motor vehicles. 80% of these deaths are as a result of a head injury.
2. cycle deaths are the highest in children 10 to 14 years old.
3. cycles are associated with more childhood injury than any other consumer product directly operated by children.
4. 400,000 children a year are treated at emergency departments for cycle related injury. One-third are head injuries (this could be anything from a graze/bump on your brow to a fractured skull).
5. Cycle helmets have reduced the risk of head injury in these cases (point 4) by 85%
6. Universal use of helmets would save 1 life every day and prevent 1 head injury every 4 minutes.
7. Mandatory cycle helmet laws have reduced mortality by 80% in areas where they have been passed and enforced.
8. 2200 injured in cycle related injury sustain permanent disability. It is estimated that cycle helmets would have prevented 1700 of these injuries and the Lifetime medical savings would have exceeded $142 million.
9. Cycle helmets purchased in bulk (such as by a school) can cost $11 each.
10. Nearly half of all fatalities occur between 4 and 8 in the evening on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Interesting......some aren't particuarly well explained...but interesting never the less
Jas
Just so you know where I’m coming from, I’m a health care professional in the UK, I teach this stuff as well as see patients, I cycle, and I chose not to wear a helmet every day I ride, because last time I checked, I was still allowed a choice. Interesting figures anyway, but I’d be careful about transferring them to “adults” and to the UK…..it’s not always that clear cut.
1. 300 children die each year from cycle related injuries. 90% of these deaths are as a result of collisions with motor vehicles. 80% of these deaths are as a result of a head injury.
2. cycle deaths are the highest in children 10 to 14 years old.
3. cycles are associated with more childhood injury than any other consumer product directly operated by children.
4. 400,000 children a year are treated at emergency departments for cycle related injury. One-third are head injuries (this could be anything from a graze/bump on your brow to a fractured skull).
5. Cycle helmets have reduced the risk of head injury in these cases (point 4) by 85%
6. Universal use of helmets would save 1 life every day and prevent 1 head injury every 4 minutes.
7. Mandatory cycle helmet laws have reduced mortality by 80% in areas where they have been passed and enforced.
8. 2200 injured in cycle related injury sustain permanent disability. It is estimated that cycle helmets would have prevented 1700 of these injuries and the Lifetime medical savings would have exceeded $142 million.
9. Cycle helmets purchased in bulk (such as by a school) can cost $11 each.
10. Nearly half of all fatalities occur between 4 and 8 in the evening on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Interesting......some aren't particuarly well explained...but interesting never the less
Jas
it looks a bit steep to me.....
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"6. Universal use of helmets would save 1 life every day and prevent 1 head injury every 4 minutes.
7. Mandatory cycle helmet laws have reduced mortality by 80% in areas where they have been passed and enforced. "
How could number 6 be proved?
And on what statistical basis is number 7 based on?0 -
240 children die each year, but 365 lives will be saved by helmets. Result, 125 new americans every year.0
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Point 1 clearly states that 270 children a year are killed by motor vehicles. Even if you try to remedy the problem with cycle helmets and achieve 80% reduction you still condemn 54 children a year to death unless you combine your strategy with another measure. Hmmm, perhaps getting cars not to collide with children in the first place would work?0
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....or even getting the children not to collide with the cars
it looks a bit steep to me.....0
