In 1999, 173 children, age 14 and under, were killed in bicycle-related incidents. Approximately 373,000 children age 14 and under are treated in emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries in 2000. Unsafe bicycling environments, lack of knowledge and training in safe bicycling, and failure to use bicycle helmets all contribute to bicycle crashes being a major cause of injury, especially for children.

Nearly 28 million children ride a bicycle. The National SAFE KIDS Campaign shows that nearly 51 percent of children between the ages of 10 to 14 hospitalized for bike-related injuries suffer from a traumatic brain injury. This compares to 44 percent of children between ages 5 to 9 and 38 percent of children age 4 and under.

Bicycle helmets have great potential for reducing bicycle-related injuries and deaths due to head injuries. Properly worn bicycle helmets reduce the risk of head injury by 88 percent. Bicycle helmet use is widely regarded as an effective means to significantly reduce these injuries and deaths. Yet, only 15 percent of all bicyclists ages 14 and under use bicycle helmets.

"Brain injury is the leading killer and disabler of children and damage to the brain from an external blow can affect one's ability to walk, talk, and think." Says Dr. C. Everett Koop, Sc.D., former U. S. Surgeon General and chairman of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign. He also says "Brain injuries are more common among older children because these kids are less likely to wear their helmets and take more chances."

Why don't children wear helmets?

When buying a helmet, it is important that the helmet that you purchase meet design and testing standards. Parents should only buy a helmet that meets or exceeds the standards developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the Snell Memorial Foundation, or the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Helmets that meet one or all of the above standards will have a sticker inside the helmet or on the box.

The ANSI standard is a self-certifying process and the manufacturer certifies that samples of the helmet have been tested and have passed all the requirements of the standard. ASTM, like ANSI is self-certifying, and includes tests two tests: 1) how will a helmet respond to sharp edges during a fall; and 2) the other is a "roll-off" test to determine the ability of a helmet to remain on the head during a crash. Both ANSI and ASTM standards are written by a committee of professionals from many disciplines and are under continual review and refinement. The Snell Memorial Foundation actually tests, in its own laboratories, samples of helmets submitted by manufacturers. Snell standards are written by Snell engineers and approved by Snell's Board of Directors. Helmet models that pass all testing requirements are entitled to bear the Foundations certification sticker.