Cycle Helmets
This article is taken from the BMA site. An article that reinforces the importance of wearing a cycling helmet on your bike.
In the UK individuals are not currently legally required to wear a cycling helmet. There is much controversy on whether cycle helmet wearing should be compulsory. A great deal of the controversy relates to whether cycle helmets reduce injuries, if so what type of injuries they reduce and further whether cycle helmet legislation discourages cycling.
The BMA, as a part of its policy to improve safe cycling supports compulsory wearing of cycle helmets when cycling for children and adults. The Association wants to see an increase in voluntary use prior to the introduction of cycle helmet legislation and supports initiatives that so increase such use.
There is extensive literature that reviews the case for and against the wearing of cycle helmets. The most reliable research comes from Cochrane Reviews which are based on the best available information about healthcare interventions. They explore the evidence for and against the effectiveness and appropriateness of treatments (medications, surgery, education, etc) in specific circumstances.
Rationale
Cycle helmets aim to reduce the risk of serious injury caused by impacts to the head. Injuries to the head generally take two forms; skull fractures and brain injuries. As doctors know only too well, while skull fractures can heal, injuries to the brain, unlike those to the rest of the body, generally do not and may sometimes have long-term consequences. Though not always visible and sometimes seemingly minor, brain injury is complex. It can cause physical, cognitive, social and vocational changes that affect an individual for a variable time period. In many cases recovery becomes a lifelong process of adjustments and accommodation for the individual and those caring for them. Depending on the extent and the location of the injury, impairments caused by a brain injury can vary widely. Among the most common impairments are difficulties with memory, mood and concentration. Others include significant deficits in organisational and reasoning skills, learning, cognitive and executive functions. See Appendix 1 for a list of the specific deficits resulting from damage to particular regions of the brain.
Function
Cycle helmets perform three functions. Firstly they reduce the deceleration of the skull and hence the brain by managing impacts. This is achieved by crushing the soft material contained within a helmet. Secondly a helmet acts by spreading the area of an impact. As it is impacted, the expanded polystyrene shell of the helmet dissipates the energy over a rapidly increasing area like a cone. This prevents forces from being localized to one concentrated small area. Finally a helmet plays a vital role by preventing direct contact between the skull and the impacting object.
Simon’s story
Simon, in an effort to get fit for his 40th birthday, started a regular regime of cycling in the evening. Like many people, he didn’t wear a cycle helmet because he thought they looked stupid. On one occasion, for reasons unknown, he blacked out and fell from his bicycle, hitting his head on the pavement as he fell. He broke the base of his skull and sustained blood clots to either side of his head. Doctors operated on him to remove the blood clots.
He now has metal plates in his head. He has tinnitus in both ears and has lost virtually all hearing in the right ear. He suffers greatly from fatigue and his head hurts constantly. He has no sense of smell or taste and has lost a significant amount of weight. He has also had to have therapy for a stutter acquired as a result of the accident and attends courses to manage his anger.
Simon regrets not having worn a cycle helmet. The injuries he has suffered have impacted greatly on him as an individual as well as on his family.
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