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The Dangers of Bicycle Helmets

Topic legislation could do more harm than good

Apr 28, 2009 13:13 GMT  ·  By
Helmet laws have sparked a large number of controversies around the world, as their effects on health care systems are still little understood
   Helmet laws have sparked a large number of controversies around the world, as their effects on health care systems are still little understood

It would stand to reason that laws forcing all bicycle riders to wear helmets when riding would be welcome by everyone, but, apparently, that's not the case. Peering under the surface reveals the fact that many people have renounced riding a bicycle since the introduction of these legislations, which doctors say is a very regrettable course of action. While laws have been introduced in a bid to decrease the costs associated with treating head injuries, making people forcefully wear helmets may actually turn up to have a much higher cost impact on hospitals, experts warn.

That is to say, according to statistics, between 20 to 40 percent of all Australian bike riders have renounced riding their bicycles altogether after the bills got passed. All of these individuals will, once again, become predisposed to developing a series of medical conditions that using a bicycle for one or two hours per day has been scientifically proven to avert. In the end, such conditions would have to be treated in hospitals, and the costs associated with this would be several times greater than those currently supported for treating the persons who have accidents and fall on their heads.

However, determining exactly the influence that riding bicycles would have on the health care system means to take into account something that statisticians have termed “the health cost of a traveled miles.” According to released numbers, this may amount to as much as one dollar per mile traveled, but finding out the real costs is simply impossible, experts say. In addition to this, it's very difficult to understand exactly how riding a bike affects each individual's health, how a fall would harm them according to age, or whether wearing a helmet or not makes them more or less prone to accidents.

Medically speaking, for patients in the 45-to-64-year-old groups, some 40 kilometers of bike riding per week are necessary, in order to see any reduction in their risks of cardiovascular diseases, NewScientist reports. But most people travel short distances at a slow speed, so even if they covered more than that, it would be unclear whether the cost benefits on the health care system would be substantial enough to prompt the introduction of mandatory helmet laws.