Wear a Helmet!

My husband and I love to ride bikes. It never ceases to amaze me when we travel in our coach how many people bike around a campground without wearing a helmet. I guess they think that because the traffic throughout the campground is slower than the open road there is no danger of injury - wrong! If simple logic doesn't make you wear a helmet perhaps some statistics will. Read on!

You may not live in New York City. . . but does it matter? The statistics don't lie. New York issued a statement on their bicycle safety study including these numbers:

Bicycle lanes and helmets may reduce the risk of death.
o Almost three-quarters of fatal crashes (74%) involved a head injury.
o Nearly all bicyclists who died (97%) were not wearing a helmet.
o Helmet use among those bicyclists with serious injuries was low (13%), but it was even lower among bicyclists killed (3%).
o Only one fatal crash with a motor vehicle occurred when a bicyclist was in a marked bike lane.

Nearly all bicyclist deaths (92%) occurred as a result of crashes with motor vehicles.
o Large vehicles (trucks, buses) were involved in almost one-third (32%) of fatal crashes, but they make up approximately 15% of vehicles on NYC roadways.
o Most fatal crashes (89%) occurred at or near intersections.
o Nearly all (94%) fatalities involved human error. All New Yorkers, whether pedestrians, bicyclists or motorists, can help prevent crashes by following traffic signs and signals and respecting other road users.

Men and some children face particular challenges.
o Most bicyclists who died were males (91%), and men aged 45-54 had the highest death rate (8.1 per million) of any age group.
o Among children aged 5-14, boys had a much higher death rate than girls; Queens had the highest child bicyclist death rate of the five boroughs.

I love my life and my brain that's why I wear a helmet whenever I'm on a bike. Isn't your brain and life worth it? Think about it!