This was the result of a crash my husband had whilst cycling a couple of weeks ago.
As you can see, his helmet was totally wrecked!
It did, however, in the words of the trauma consultant, ‘in no uncertain terms, save his life’.
In our family, we have always worn helmets for cycling, and it’s something I feel passionate about, as in my line of work, I have seen the devastation a severe head injury can cause.
Some cycling and helmet facts:
Brain injuries account for the majority of the 80,000 cycling-related head injuries treated in A&E each year.
Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by about 48–60% on average.
Not wearing a helmet TRIPLES the fatal head injury risk for cyclists (65%).
In a study of 76,032 cyclists with head/neck injuries, helmet wearers experienced less severe injuries, shorter hospital stays and lower mortality rates than non-wearers.
The data is clear. Wearing a helmet may make a massive difference. It will greatly improve your chances of avoiding serious head injury or death in a crash. Therefore, please ALWAYS wear a helmet and advise those close to you to do the same, whether you are cycling for training or ‘just popping down the road’.
A point to note: Contrary to belief, research performed by Dyson school of engineering found that there was no correlation between price and protection, with the highest-performing helmet being one of the less expensive, retailing at around £50! Even more reason to put one on your wish list today!
