21/07/2025
🚴🏻♂️ Cycling is fantastic for our kids wellbeing and it’s fun! While we can choose designated cycle paths and lanes when out with our children to mitigate road accidents, we can’t always prevent falls from bikes, or more serious collisions, so taking steps to protect our children from head injuries is so important.
78% of bike-related head injuries experienced by children could be prevented with a helmet (gitnux website - sources cited).
A 2016 study found that bicycle helmets reduce the risk of head injuries by 51%, serious head injuries by 71%, fatal head injuries by 65%, and facial injuries by 33% (Olivier, Creighton, 2016).
A 2019 study into the impact of cycle helmet use on severe traumatic brain injury and death in a national cohort of over 11,000 pedal cyclists, using data from the NHS England Trauma Audit and Research Network dataset, found that cycle helmet use was associated with a significant reduction in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).
The foam inside cycle helmets is designed to crush on impact in the event of a fall or collision, helping to disperse and cushion the force of the impact. The plastic shell is designed to keep the foam in place and help slide along the impact surface rather than bringing the helmet to a jarring halt.
“The reality is that even a minor injury can have a major impact. Therefore, anything that can limit damage to the brain by lessening the risk of skull fracture or reducing the amount of energy absorbed by the brain upon impact can have a significant effect on a patient’s outcome. Cycle helmets achieve both of these objectives.” -
Prof David J Sharp, IHR Research Professor & Consultant Neurologist, National Institute for Health Research.
So when you’re out and about with your children, make sure they are wearing a cycle helmet!
