Helmets Save Lives

I have been doing some research for a training video I am putting together on “Concussion in School-Aged Children” and I came across an alarming statistic reported on www.neurosurgery.org that 52% of children did not use a helmet while riding a bike and that only 41% did (the other 7% apparently had a helmet with them but were not using it). These statistics came from an observational study undertaken in 2003 in which 8159 children and 1396 adults where observed in 549 sites in 46 states. Of further concern was that of those who were wearing helmets, a third of them were not wearing them correctly (they were too loose or were too far back on the head). The year that these observations were made (2003) there were 626 bicycle deaths - in 2008 that number was 714.

Currently 21 States and the District of Columbia have laws requiring helmet use by children and five states require helmet use for other wheeled sports (scooters, skateboards and inline skates). Helmet use is significantly higher in places with enforced helmet use laws. There is also evidence that the rate of serious head injury is lower in places where there is greater helmet use. A report from the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that 9 out of 10 adults support a law requiring children to wear helmets when cycling and about 60 percent support a helmet law for adults (this number dropped to less than 50% among adults who identified themselves as bicyclists).

The question of why people do not wear helmets is an interesting one and an important one to understand. The following table is from the same NHTSA study.


It seems to me that another reason is that most people do not fully understand the risks involved and the potential consequences of even a minor blow to the head. I also think that many believe that something bad could not happen to them or their loved ones. As a neuropsychologist, I have seen firsthand the devastating consequences of injuries that could have been prevented by helmet use and I am committed to trying to help others understand the need for regular helmet use by adults and children.

My children (8 and 9 years old) understand that they never ride their bikes, scooters or a skateboard without a helmet. My wife and I have reinforced this to the point that we no longer have to remind our children about it. Children will not make these important safety decisions on their own and many will avoid wearing a helmet if they can. It is up to us as adults to reinforce the need to be safe and to set a good example. Children are more likely to wear a helmet if they are riding with others who are wearing them. As parents it is our responsibility to make sure our children have the right safety equipment for all of the activities that they engage in and to make sure they use them.

What’s in a Name (Concussion or Mild Traumatic Brain Injury)

A group of Canadian researchers recently recommended that we start calling concussion by its other name “Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.” They argue that there is too much confusion associated with the word concussion and that saying “an athlete had a concussion” implies a less severe injury than saying “the athlete suffered a mild traumatic brain injury.” In their study that looked at children admitted to a hospital with a brain injury. The children who were diagnosed with concussion were released sooner, returned to school and to play sooner regardless of the severity of the injury. Part of the rationale for the recommended change is that by including the word “brain” in the diagnosis it will help people better understand why we need to take these injuries seriously.

I agree that it is important for people to understand that when an athlete suffers a concussion the injury needs to be taken seriously; however, I am not convinced that changing the name is the right approach. When an issue gets as much media coverage as sports concussion does it is inevitable that there will be some misunderstanding as lay people (including the media) misuse and oversimplify the word. However, if we continue to change what we call things every time this occurs we will be left with obsolete terms that people will continue to use and the confusion will increase. I think that the approach we, in the professional community, need to take is to make sure we help educate people about the real meaning and the real danger of concussion. As part of this process, we need to write, or call, the media when they misuse or oversimplify the word concussion. At the Center for Human Potential we will also be working to provide free public education about concussion. There is also great information available on the ImPACT website and on the CDC website.