Studies show that helmets are responsible for saving lives and lowering the risk of serious head injuries. A number of injuries would have been avoided altogether if helmets had been worn, particularly in children 15 and under. Riders of all ages benefit from wearing a helmet.
How much a bicycle helmet can prevent serious injury varies between different studies, but the one constant statistic is that helmets work. Studies have shown between 45 and 88% of brain injuries could have been prevented with helmet use and that wearing a helmet could prevent as many as 85% of head injuries.
Youth riders benefit the most from constant helmet usage, as more than half of the bicycle riders admitted to US hospital emergency rooms each year are children 15 and under. It is estimated between 57,000 and 100,000 injuries to the head, face and scalp could be prevented in children between the ages of 4 and 15 by helmet use.
In the summer, helmets can make children sweaty and they may not want to wear them, however good parents insist that the helmet be worn.
