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SALT LAKE CITY -- Advocates and emergency room doctors at Primary Children's Medical Center (PCMC) conducted an object lesson on the helipad.
The test subjects lined up -- some with helmets, others without. Though non-scientific, the test was a visual reminder of what can happen when a child doesn't wear a helmet.
Wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head and brain injuries by 85%. -NHTSA
Dr. Charles Pruitt, with PCMC, explained, "We dropped cantaloupes to simulate forces that a child's head would experience in a crash. We saw that cantaloupes break open pretty easily when dropped."
The cantaloupe with a helmet survived the drop just fine.
When a helmet protects that cantaloupe, there is much less chance of the cantaloupe breaking, meaning there is a much less chance of a child's head breaking or being injured," Dr. Pruitt said.
Head injury is the most common serious injury from bicycle-motor vehicle crashes. -UDOH
" Doctors say the key is for parents to start early.
"If you put your child in a helmet from the beginning, that becomes the norm and they won't ever want to ride a skateboard, or ski or ride a bike or motorcycle without wearing a helmet," Dr. Pruitt said.
- In an average year in Utah, 6 bicyclists are killed and nearly 850 are involved in crashes with motor vehicles.
- Nearly 60% of bicyclists involved in a bicycle/motor vehicle crash are younger than 20 years of age
- More than three-fourths (79%) are male
- In 2007 in the U.S., 92% of bicyclists killed in crashes were not wearing a helmet. -IIHS
- Utah is one of only 14 states with no law requiring bicyclists to wear a helmet.
The doctors also recommend getting an approved helmet. You can look for the sticker on the side to see if it's approved.
Also, adjust the straps so the helmet can't move around. The fit is correct if you can put a finger or two between the strap and the chin. The helmet should sit level on your head.
Each year in Utah, an average six bicyclists are killed and 850 are involved in crashes with cars.
E-mail: dwimmer@ksl.com
