I thought that I'd contribute this, seeing the debate caused by the Times article on bike helmets and risk behaviour. The Canadian statistics quoted are accurate as can possibly be: I should know, since the Health Canada specialist quoted is my boss, and I did the information retrieval for her. Mind you, the statistical trends are only stats, and as I learned in school: correlation does not always mean causation. I also agree with a number of people on this list that helmets are not a guarantee of safety - I tend to believe that greater general public cycling education, such as through use of CAN-BIKE courses, would be much more effective in reducing cycling injuries, rather that just slapping on a helmet on kids. I can also see why people are opposed to mandatory helmet laws. But as a guy who enjoys road racing, and having seen the velocities I can hit during a crit, I'll keep my helmet on and get some minimal protection, if nothing else. Marlon Tang ---------------------- PUBLICATION The Toronto Star DATE Wednesday August 1, 2001 PAGE B05 BYLINE Katherine Harding HEADLINE: Keep helmet on, cyclists advised; Canadian safety statistics at odds with U.S. report Bicycle advocates on both sides of the border are shaking their heads at a news report that suggests helmets haven't reduced cycling-related injuries in the United States. The New York Times reported Sunday that head injuries in bicycle accidents have increased 10 per cent in the U.S. over the past decade despite a sharp rise in helmet use. The statistics in Canada appear to tell a different story. Bicycle-related deaths in Canada have consistently declined over-all since the mid-1980s, according to Health Canada figures. In 1990, there were 109 such deaths in Canada. That dropped to 70 in 1998, the last year the data were collected. Of those 70 deaths, 60 involved crashes with motor vehicles. "There is no evidence this is a problem here. Helmets work, and they work extremely well, and there is no question about that whatsoever," said Emile Therien, president of the Canada Safety Council. For cyclists under 20, the decrease in bike-related fatalities has been dramatic, even though figures fluctuate slightly annually. In 1987, there were 82 reported deaths. In 1998, there were only 21. "That's wonderful. For someone like me, that's wonderful to see that type of decrease in deaths," said Margaret Herbert, an injuries specialist with the health surveillance and epidemiology division of Health Canada. The data are from Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute of Health Information. Herbert added that the number of bicycle-related hospitalizations for all ages and sexes has also declined slowly, but consistently, from the early '90s to 1998. "It's hard to pin down the reason, but there has been an over-all improvement in the number of motor-vehicle and bike crashes," she said. Herbert attributes that to several factors, including a decrease in drunk driving and increased use of bicycle lanes and helmets. Wearing a bicycle helmet is the law for people under 18 in Ontario and for everyone in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and British Columbia. The Times reported U.S. bicyclists suffered 73,750 head injuries last year, compared with 66,820 in 1991, according to figures compiled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. With bike ridership on the decline because of the growing popularity of in-line skating, skateboarding and other sports, that translates into a 51 per cent rise in the rate of head injuries among bicyclists, the Times reported. Herbert said there hasn't been a solid study done on the correlation between bicycle helmet use and brain injuries in Canada. She wouldn't comment on the Times report because she hadn't reviewed the data. Canadian safety organizations and activists were quick to question the U.S. information. "We don't have data that supports that," said Amy Zierler of Safe Kids Canada, an organization based at the Hospital for Sick Children. "We'd have to thoroughly look at research like this before we'd change our recommendations regarding helmet use. "Wearing a helmet correctly is still important." Bicycle helmets have been shown to reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 per cent and the risk of brain injury by as much as 88 per cent, according to Safe Kids. Councillor Olivia Chow (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina), who chairs the Toronto Cycling Committee, said helmets are essential. "Wear a helmet properly at all times, and don't worry about your hairdo," Chow said. According to a city report on bicycle collisions, motorists are partly or entirely at fault in 70 to 75 per cent of crashes with bicycles. In Toronto, about 939,000 residents over age 15 are bikers, and more than 60 per cent of households own a bicycle. During the peak summer months, cyclists in Toronto make more than 3 million trips per week, including 1.6 million recreation trips. Randy Swart, director of the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute based in Arlington, Va., called the Times article "off-base and unbalanced." "I don't care what they've done with statistics, observation tells you that there hasn't been a 51 per cent increase in head injuries per active cyclist," Swart said. "They are assuming that more than 50 per cent of the population are wearing helmets, which is garbage. It's just over 20 per cent in some states. Plus, when people wear them they don't wear them properly," he said. "Anything they've said shouldn't shake people's confidence that bicycle helmets work and they do reduce injury." Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have laws on mandatory helmet use. In 1999, there were about 800 bike-related fatalities in the United States. Some U.S. cycling advocates contend rising numbers of aggressive drivers are at fault for the increase in head injuries, while others suggest that many riders wear helmets improperly and do not know the rules of the road. Some transportation engineers say there are not enough safe places to ride. Specialists in risk analysis believe the increased use of bike helmets may have had an unintended consequence: Riders may feel an inflated sense of security and take more risks. *** END OF STORY*** ----------------- "I will not say; do not cry! For not all tears are evil." - J.R.R. 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