A Reminder to Cyclists to Wear Helmets
The Williams Lake RCMP is worried about the number of people riding bikes without wearing bicycle helmets. A person riding a bicycle is at a significantly higher risk of head injury if a helmet is not worn. RCMP Cariboo Chilcotin Traffic Services Corp. Mel Callander says that his 16-year-old nephew was involved in a bike collision last year. Callander's nephew was crossing the road when a speeding motorist saw him at the last moment and slammed on the brakes. The boy was struck by the car and flew over the hood of the vehicle with his head striking the windshield. Matthew then fell off the vehicle and onto the pavement.
Callander says that "the ER doctor advised the family that had he not been wearing a bicycle helmet, he probably would have been killed. The helmet that Matthew was wearing at the time of the accident was busted in half from the force of the impact." Head injuries can cause long-term brain damage and even death.
Related Links:
Legal View: Traumatic Brain Injury
Bike Helmet Laws Protect Children From Head Injury
Survivors of brain injury may develop epilepsy
Experts Focus on Brain Injuries
So I emailed the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute