Thousands of individuals across the United States are injured while riding their bicycles each year. While bumps and scrapes and bruised knees are common outcomes of minor bike accidents, far more serious roadway incidents occur every day – many of them resulting in deaths. Bicycle accidents without helmets are especially associated with a high risk of severe injury, owing primarily to two related facts: First, bicycle helmets are designed to protect their wearers against cranial trauma; and second, head injuries account for a substantial percentage of severe injuries arising from bicycle accidents, and an even higher percentage of bike accident deaths. As personal injury lawyers, at Shillen Mackall Seldon & Spicer we regularly represent individuals who have been injured in bicycle accidents without helmets – or the grieving families they leave behind. After years of representing the bike accident victims, we are well aware that no amount of protective gear can completely erase the hazards posed by a driver who fails to take due care in operating their vehicle. At the same time, bicycle helmets are like seat belts in that, while they cannot prevent accidents, they can serve to mitigate the effects of a crash. To learn more or to seek help pursuing compensation if you have been injured in a bicycle accident, with or without a helmet, call (802) 810-8311 today to connect with our offices in Florida, New Hampshire, or Vermont.
What Are the Risks of Riding a Bike Without a Helmet?
Personal injury lawyers who handle bicycle accident cases see all too many reminders of how critical it is to wear a helmet while bicycling at all times. These seemingly small interventions can have a tremendous impact on the type and severity of injuries a bicycle rider sustains in the event of a crash. Bicycle accidents without helmets are disproportionately likely to result in tragic outcomes compared to similar accidents in which the cyclist’s head is protected.
How Much Safer Is Biking With a Helmet?
The Cleveland Clinic reports data from a meta-analysis indicating that bicycle helmets could reduce “serious head injuries” in bicycle accidents by as much as 60% – a factor that probably influenced another finding from the same paper that showed wearing a bicycle helmet equated to a 34% reduction in the risk of death or serious injury for cyclists. The specific degree of protection can depend on the type of helmet and how well the helmet selection fits the activity. Because off-road bicycling can trigger different types of impacts from those more likely to be experienced in car-bike accidents on city streets, the type of helmet chosen may influence the safety equipment’s overall effectiveness. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) provides a free guide to assist in helmet selection.
Are Bike Helmets Actually Safer?
Some bicycling enthusiasts contest the accuracy of the statistical data most frequently cited in support of mandatory helmet wearing. The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) has argued that some of the most widely-cited statistics associated with helmet use are too often used without adequate context, and may not provide a fully accurate reflection of the actual degree to which bicycle helmets contribute to cycling safety. One caveat the organization notes is that many of the existing studies, and in some cases, the official guidance developed on the basis of the research findings they present, do not adequately account for such factors as helmet construction and fit, both of which might reasonably be expected to factor into the total risk reduction a helmet might provide in a particular instance.
Optimizing Bicycle Helmets for Individual Safety
Concerns like those raised by WABA serve to underscore the need for additional research into innovative helmet designs and their impacts on cycling safety. Of particular interest are questions regarding fit, as the seatbelts commonly found in modern passenger vehicles are known to offer different degrees of protection depending on the wearer’s height, among other factors. Whereas the integration of seatbelt designs with a car’s interior tends to place limits on the customizability of those important automotive safety features, however, bicycle helmets are separately-sold pieces of equipment that can more easily be selected for, and fitted to, an individual wearer. Achieving optimal customization may yield important benefits in what is already a substantial safety tool.
What Percentage of Bicycle Accidents Result in Head Injuries?
One of the main reasons why wearing a bicycle helmet while cycling is so important is that many of the most serious bicycling injuries are to the head. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) cites a 1991 study that found head injuries accounted for more than 30% of all bicycle accident injuries treated at emergency departments, and an astonishing 62% of deaths resulting from bicycle crashes. More recently, a 2020 study available through the National Library of Medicine puts the percentage of bicycling deaths linked to head injuries even higher, at roughly 75% of all bicycling fatalities.
What Type of Bicycling Is Most Dangerous?
While there may be a temptation to think of “off-road” bicycling as particularly hazardous due to the rougher terrain and the potential for falls from significant heights involved in some mountain biking activities, the reality is that most bicycle-accident fatalities result from crashes in urban centers, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Even within urban areas, the most hazardous bicycling accidents may not happen where one would expect: The CDC reports that only 27% of fatal bicycle accidents occurred at intersections, compared with 64% occurring along non-intersection stretches of roadway.
The association of risk with urban cycling reflects an unfortunate reality with which personal injury attorneys are confronted all too often: The overwhelming majority of catastrophic outcomes from bicycle accidents, including fatalities, come from bike accidents involving a motor vehicle. A bicyclist struck by a motor vehicle traveling at speed is at serious risk of severe injuries and even death, whether or not the cyclist is wearing protective gear – but wearing a bicycle helmet is a sensible protective measure that avid cyclists can take to reduce their risks of serious injury in the event that a careless driver fails to maintain appropriate safety standards in sharing the road.
Speak With an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney About Your Bicycle Accident Case
Motor vehicles inevitably pose some risk to cyclists. Drivers who fail to fulfill their duty of care may pose an even greater threat. Cars and other passenger vehicles can easily cause catastrophic injuries on impact with an unwary bicyclist. While any car-bike accident presents a substantial risk of severe injuries, bicycle accidents without helmets can be especially dangerous – and preventable. The safety-oriented team at Shillen Mackall Seldon & Spicer is committed to increasing roadway safety by providing educational resources for drivers and cyclists alike, but we also know that protective cycling gear is no substitute for driver responsibility. Cyclists struggling to recover compensation for their medical care or other losses after a car-bike accident can reach our teams in Vermont, New Hampshire, or Florida by calling (802) 810-8311 today to schedule a free, personalized consultation.