When the discussion turns to the use of a bicycle helmet two justifications for not wearing one are routinely brought up. The first is that mandatory helmet use discourages cycling and the second is that wearing a helmet provides a false sense of security that leads to an increase in risky behaviour.
Systematic Review
A review published by the University of New South Wales in Australia looked at helmet legislation, the effects of legislation on cycling and risk compensation by cyclists.
The conclusions reached include:
- Biomechanical and epidemiological evidence suggests wearing a bicycle helmet substantially reduces the risk and odds of head and face injury of any severity, serious head injury, and fatal head injury.
- The results from 13 studies of cycling exposure did not support the reduction hypothesis, 8 studies had mixed results, and two studies supported the hypothesis
- There is a general lack of evidence supportive of the risk compensation hypothesis for bicycle helmet wearing, although there is also a general lack of studies that directly assess risk compensation and helmet wearing.
Conclusion
The implications of this review, along with the results from other reviews and studies, are
supportive of strategies to increase bicycle helmet usage including legislation
Is It Worth Wearing a Bicycle Helmet?
A study on the effectiveness of bicycle helmets and injury prevention found that:
Wearing a helmet while cycling has been found to have a clear benefit on injury reduction, for all ages, independent of severity, and in bike crashes that may or may not involve a motorized vehicle.
Enforcement of Helmet Use in BC
In British Columbia police issued 264 tickets with a penalty of $29 for riding without a helmet in 2023.
Learn More
- Read the Review
- Bicycling Injury Hospitalisation Rates in Canadian Jurisdictions
- Bicycle Safety Helmets - Section 184 MVA
- Bicycle Safety Helmet Exemption Regulation
- Bicycle Safety Helmet Standards Regulation
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