Set a good example for your kids. I saw a dad riding with no helmet while his son wore a helmet. Internet photo.
Only 22% of adults seriously injured while biking were using a helmet during their accident, data show
The Washington Post (9/13, Searing) reported that only 22% “of adults seriously injured while biking were using a helmet at the time of their accident, according to information from the National Trauma Data Bank on 76,032 bicyclists who sustained head or neck injuries from 2002 to 2012.” The piece added that “men were less likely than women to wear helmets (21 percent vs. 28 percent).” The findings were published in Brain Injury.
Blogfinger medical comment: Paul Goldfinger, MD
I am guilty myself of not wearing a helmet around town. My neighbor is a bike racer who always wears a helmet. I told him that the Tour de France would be in Asbury Park next year after the Zombie Walk .*
OG’s streets can be very dangerous for bikers due to narrow streets, stop signs, traffic, one way streets, pedestrians, etc. A prominent Grover sustained a serious leg injury while riding his bike as a car door opened.
The development of bike helmets began during the bike craze in the 1970’s.
The technology of helmets, trying to improve strength and safety, continues to evolve.
This is from the American Academy of Family Practice: Although superficial soft tissue injuries and musculoskeletal trauma are the most common injuries, head injuries are responsible for most fatalities and long-term disabilities. Overuse injuries may contribute to a variety of musculoskeletal complaints, compression neuropathies, perineal and genital complaints.
Bicycle-related injuries account for approximately 900 deaths, 23,000 hospital admissions, 580,000 emergency department visits and more than 1.2 million physician visits per year in the United States, resulting in an estimated cost of more than $8 billion annually.3–5 The Child Health Supplement to the 1988 National Health Interview Survey estimated that approximately 4.4 million children aged five to 17 years were injured annually because of participation in sports and recreation; bicycle-related injuries were responsible for 10 to 40 percent of these.
Physicians treating such patients should consider medical factors, as well as suggest adjusting various components of the bicycle, such as the seat height and handlebars. Encouraging bicycle riders to wear helmets is key to preventing injuries; protective clothing and equipment, and general safety advice also may offer some protection.
In 2012 there was an extensive discussion on BF about bike riding in town. Click on the link to read those comments which are still relevant.
Bicycling in the Grove comments
Note: * This year’s Zombie Walk is this Saturday , October 5, from 4 pm at Convention Hall. So more pressure on OG parking and open space for the residents.;