The importance of wearing a cycling helmet

According to Government statistics, in 2022, 91 pedal cyclists were killed and 4,056 were seriously injured in road incidents in Great Britain.

An earlier study in 2019 revealed that of the 11,000 injured pedal cyclists included in the study, 47.6% of those who were not wearing a cycling helmet at the time of their accident suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and only 19.1% of those included in the study were wearing a cycling helmet at all.

For those not fully familiar with the workings of the brain, which is probably most of us, a severe traumatic brain injury can result in bruising, torn tissues, bleeding and other physical damage to the brain. This can be caused by a forceful bump or blow to the head, which could happen when a head not encased in a cycling helmet strikes a road surface having been thrown there by a passing car.

Such damage can lead to a lifetime of physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural changes which, in many cases, cannot be reversed and, in most cases, are life-changing not only for the injured person themselves but also for their families and those around them.

In some cases, such damage can lead to death.

The decision to go out cycling without a helmet because “it isn’t cool” or because “it will mess up my hair” could be the worst decision ever made.

With this in mind and given the government’s ambitious plans to boost cycling rates, the UK-wide charity, Headway, which strives to improve life after brain injury, has relaunched its campaign to encourage all cyclists to wear helmets.

In particular, it believes that more vulnerable cyclists, such as children, who may not have the same level of competency and experience as adults, should be compelled to wear helmets by law, given that the largest review on cycling and helmets to date, carried out in 2016 by the University of New South Wales in Australia, revealed that wearing a cycling helmet can reduce the risk of serious head injury by almost 70% and fatal head injury by 65%.

You only have one brain – look after it!

For more information and advice on road traffic accident claims or any other personal injury claims, contact the team on 0800 652 8373.