BMJ 1999;318:1505 ( 5 June )
News
Cycle helmets should not be compulsory
Douglas Carnall
, BMJ
Cyclists are advised to wear helmets but legislation to make them
compulsory is likely to reduce the number of people choosing to cycle
and would not be in the interests of health, concludes the BMA's Board
of Education and^ Science.
International evidence shows that the compulsory use of helmets
results in a fall in the number of cyclists. The Australian state of
Victoria made the use of helmets compulsory in 1990, and in the
following year deaths and head injuries among cyclists fell between
37%and 51%However, 40%fewer adults and 60%fewer children continued to
cycle after the introduction of the^ laws.
About one in five cyclists in Britain currently wears a helmet. This
proportion would have to be increased by promotional campaigns
encouraging voluntary action before legislation could^ hope to be^
effective.
Some cyclists are opposed to wearing helmets. Research by the European
Cycling Federation found that non-cyclists tended to be most in favour
of helmets. In fact, a much greater number of^ lives would be saved if
pedestrians and car occupants were encouraged^ to wear helmets.
The board's previous reports have concluded that the benefit to health
of regular exercise from cycling outweighs the British cyclist's
comparatively high risk of trauma. In countries such as the
Netherlands and Denmark pedestrians and cyclists form a^ much smaller
proportion of those injured or killed on the road, though helmets are
little used. Instead, these countries have^ concentrated on safety
programmes to reduce motor traffic speeds to 30 km/h in urban areas
and separate cyclists from fast moving traffic.
Properly fitted helmets manufactured to accepted standards can reduce
the severity of head injury in a crash, though the tests on which
these standards are based mimic a fall from a cycle rather than
collision with a fast moving vehicle, which is most likely to harm an
adult cyclist.
Children are more likely to simply fall off their bicycles and may
therefore derive more benefit from wearing a helmet. However, the cost
--- between £12 and £90 --- and the necessity of replacing helmets
every few years as the child grows may be^ prohibitive.
The report recommends that the government should consider subsidising
this cost, along with other measures to promote helmets manufactured
to the highest standard (Snell B95). It also recommends that every
child should be given the opportunity to learn cycling proficiency and
that the driving test should be modified to test specifically for
awareness of cyclists and other road users.
[15287.gif]
(Credit: PETE SALOUTOS/THE STOCK MARKET)
Children may derive more benefit than adults from cycle helmets
_________________________________________________________________
[20]© BMJ 1999
Rapid responses:
Read all [21]Rapid responses
Falling Cyclists
Phillip Brewer
bmj.com, 4 Jun 1999 [22][Full text]
Broken helmets
Chris Gould
bmj.com, 4 Jun 1999 [23][Full text]
A poor argument to stop head injury
Brian Boettcher
bmj.com, 4 Jun 1999 [24][Full text]
The New Jersey Experience
Arthur L Yeager
bmj.com, 4 Jun 1999 [25][Full text]
Delighted to hear this
Anthony Campbell
bmj.com, 4 Jun 1999 [26][Full text]
Misplaced fears about cycle helmets.
Adrian Verrinder
bmj.com, 4 Jun 1999 [27][Full text]
Online Resource on Helmets
Ernst Poulsen
bmj.com, 5 Jun 1999 [28][Full text]
Legislate or Encourage?
Andy Reynolds
bmj.com, 5 Jun 1999 [29][Full text]
Wearing of helmets in sport may increase the chance of injury
Duncan Sim
bmj.com, 6 Jun 1999 [30][Full text]
Congratulations
Giselle Noceti Ammon Xavier
bmj.com, 6 Jun 1999 [31][Full text]
The Inverse Safety Law
David Carvel
bmj.com, 8 Jun 1999 [32][Full text]
Good but more science needed
Avery Burdett
bmj.com, 8 Jun 1999 [33][Full text]
Why pick on cyclists?
Anthony Cartmell
bmj.com, 8 Jun 1999 [34][Full text]
Saving even a few lives along the way must be worth making helmets
compulsory
Anna Linden
bmj.com, 9 Jun 1999 [35][Full text]
Re: Saving even a few lives along the way must be worth making helmets
compulsory
Andy Reynolds
bmj.com, 9 Jun 1999 [36][Full text]
speed kills
John Rider
bmj.com, 10 Jun 1999 [37][Full text]
change in attitude, not helmets, reduce accidents involving cyclists
Koen De Smet
bmj.com, 11 Jun 1999 [38][Full text]
Why I Don't Wear a Helmet
Ken Kifer
bmj.com, 14 Jun 1999 [39][Full text]
Re: Donning of Lids - Good or Bad Idea?
Dave Duffield
bmj.com, 15 Jun 1999 [40][Full text]
Compulsory wearing of cycle helmets
K Lim
bmj.com, 16 Jun 1999 [41][Full text]
Cycling and helmets
Kranti Kumar
bmj.com, 16 Jun 1999 [42][Full text]
Helmets and serious brain injury
Bill Curnow
bmj.com, 18 Jun 1999 [43][Full text]
Mandatory helmet laws in Western Australia
Chris Gillham
bmj.com, 22 Jun 1999 [44][Full text]
Compulsory wearing of cycle helmets is needed!
A Fraser-Moodie
bmj.com, 30 Jun 1999 [45][Full text]
I fell, it hurt, it hurt my helmet more
Tim Oates
bmj.com, 30 Jun 1999 [46][Full text]
Author's response
Douglas Carnall
bmj.com, 8 Jul 1999 [47][Full text]
Re: Compulsory wearing of cycle helmets is needed!
Chris Gillham
bmj.com, 10 Jul 1999 [48][Full text]
Policy on bicycle-helmet wearing
Robert Ekman
bmj.com, 13 Oct 1999 [49][Full text]
Re: Policy on bicycle-helmet wearing
Chris Gillham
bmj.com, 15 Oct 1999 [50][Full text]
Tricycles in Winter should be compulsory.
Colin Guthrie
bmj.com, 17 Oct 1999 [51][Full text]
Re: Policy on bicycle-helmet wearing
Brent Beach
bmj.com, 19 Oct 1999 [52][Full text]
Mandatory=No, By choice=Yes
Bernard Labelle
bmj.com, 29 Nov 1999 [53][Full text]
Road Safety
Malcolm Manby
bmj.com, 22 Dec 1999 [54][Full text]
Encouragement Might be Worse
Ian Ker
bmj.com, 14 Jan 2000 [55][Full text]
Re: Encouragement Might be Worse
Chris Gillham
bmj.com, 8 Mar 2000 [56][Full text]
unconstitutional
Ward Parker
bmj.com, 30 Jun 2000 [57][Full text]
Re: unconstitutional
Peter Morrell
bmj.com, 2 Jul 2000 [58][Full text]
Policy on bicycle-helmet wearing: reply from the Swedish Group
Glenn Welander
bmj.com, 5 Sep 2000 [59][Full text]
No. Promote Cycling, not Helmets
Malcolm Wardlaw
bmj.com, 7 Sep 2000 [60][Full text]
Reduction in Risk versus reduction in Freedom
Kieran Brennan
bmj.com, 4 Oct 2000 [61][Full text]