Motorcycle helmets reduce spinal injuries

US study claims wearing a lid has added benefits

Posted: 16 February 2011
by Visordown News

AN American study claims that motorcycle helmets reduce the risk of spinal injuries.

The study, conducted by Dr. Adil H. Haider, an assistant professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, analysed over 40,000 motorcycle collisions between 2002 and 2006 and found that those wearing a helmet were 22 percent less likely to suffer cervical spinal injury. The research also found that those who wore a helmet were 65 percent less likely to suffer trausmatic brain injury and 37 percent less likely to die than those without a helmet.

Over the last 15 years in America, a number of states have revoked their mandatory helmet laws following lobbying from anti-helmet activists, who often cite a 25-year old study that claims the weight of the motorcycle helmet increases the risk of spinal injuries.

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Discuss this story

Ricky Jones

Ask yourself, could you ride without a helmet? I for one couldnt, having started riding just as the helmet law came in my whole time on bikes has been with the helmet compulsory and its nice to know the above stats prove the value of wearing them, although i bet we could have guessed a good bit of it without the study particularly the 37% bit.

Posted: 16/02/2011 at 11:12

Hedgehog5

If you ride at little more than the speed of a bicycle then why treat it any differently?... I don't... & I don't like bugs in my hair, stone chips on the enamel of my teath, or spinal/brain damage. Why it should be compulsary carries the same arguement as the seatbelt law but I wear both so am not really effected.

Posted: 16/02/2011 at 11:50

Hedgehog5

That said, what happens when the powers that be decide that something close to my heart like motorcycling is too dangerous? Laws that some see as over zealous are all well & good until they effect you.

Posted: 16/02/2011 at 11:58

Ricky Jones

hedgehog 5, we will always be an easy target for the do-gooder brigade most of whom wouldnt know one end of a bike from the other, remember a couple of years ago some german tw@t tried to force through an 100bhp limit across europe having carried out a study so called proving nearly all crashes in his area were to riders on large capacity unlimited power bikes, it turned out it was a tourist area where only large bikes passed through (I think his name was Bergman) basically twisting the truth to suit his argument. The one thing in our faviour is how big the bike industry is with very large companies wanting to sell bikes, these should always fight our corner (sorry for the long comment)

Posted: 16/02/2011 at 13:16

Smiffy56

I'm glad I had a lid on when I had my off last year. As well as a broken arm, shoulder and collar bone, I'd have a shredded face too