Scrapes and broken bones heal, but scrambled brains may not.
b. The simple precaution of wearing a helmet has been proven to reduce the risk of head injury by 85%. It has also been shown that child helmet ownership and usage increases with income and educational level of the parents but also decreases with the age of the child. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in partnership with the McDonald's Corp., released a survey in 1999 showing that half of all bicyclists never or infrequently wear helmets when they ride for reasons such as, only riding a short distance, forgetting to put the helmet on, or simply not having gotten around to buying one.
(Transition: This neglect in helmet usage has forced our government to implement helmet laws to aid in our children's safety.).
II. Studies suggest that a bicycle helmet law can significantly increase helmet use among children. Currently fewer than 20 states have a state-wide helmet use law. These laws vary by age affected, penalty and type of enforcement. .
a. If your city or state does not have a bicycle helmet law, it does not mean that it is safe to ride without a helmet. A study in Florida showed that in counties with a state- helmet use law, 79% of the children wore helmets while riding their bikes. And in counties without the state helmet- use law, only 33% of the children wore their helmet while riding their bicycle, which increases the risk of head injury. .
b. As of March 1999, the US government regulated that all helmets sold meet the standards of ANSI, ASTM, Snell and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. When buying a helmet look for a sticker inside labeling that it has met one of the above standards. After all it is better to be safe than sorry!.
(Transition: After realizing the importance of helmet safety, you must then be prepared to purchase the proper helmet.).
III. A good bicycle helmet must be able to absorb impact energy just as motorcycle helmets do to prevent brain injury.