Bicycle Helmets

Make Every Bicycle Ride a Safe Ride
Bicycle accidents can cause severe head or brain injuries that can have serious effects. They can cause learning disabilities, personality changes, loss of speech or sight, paralysis and even death.

• 85% of all head or brain injuries could be avoided if cyclists wore bicycle helmets.
• 85% of all bicycle crashes occur within 5 blocks of home.
• 47% of all bicycle crashes occur off the road - in driveways and on sidewalks.

Making bicycle helmet use a habit is the best way for you to protect your children when they ride their bike or trike!

Here are some suggestions to help promote bike helmet use and make every bicycle ride a safe ride:

• Model safe behavior for children: Wear a helmet when you ride. Remember that bike helmets are required by law in King County (including Seattle).
• Review the "rules of the road" with children and practice stop, look, listen and look again.
• Practice bike riding in a safe parking lot or playground. Practice hand signals, changing lanes, and looking over your shoulder to make sure it is safe to change directions, and how to avoid collisions.
• Make helmet use mandatory when using riding toys at home or in child care.
• Remind older children that pot holes, puddles, loose gravel, wet leaves, drain grates and opening car doors can all be hazards when riding on the street.
• When buying a helmet, make sure it meets current safety standards. Helmets made for sale in the U.S. after 1999 are required to meet the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards. Look for a CPSC label inside the helmet. Drivers can see a light or brightly colored helmet better than a dark one.
• If your children are reluctant to wear helmets, try letting them choose their own color and style - allowing children to choose a helmet that's "cool" may make them less likely to take it off when you're not around.
• Bike helmets should be worn straight and level, just above the eyebrows to protect the wearer's forehead and brain. The helmet should be adjusted for a snug fit and the strap buckled under the chin on every ride. Always wear a helmet according to the manufacturer's directions!
• When a child gets off their bike they should always remove their helmet. The Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that helmets can catch on playground equipment, trees or other objects and choke or cause other injury to a child.

Bike helmets are "Ticket to Safety"

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - Today, the King County Board of Health voted unanimously to amend the King County bike helmet regulation to include Seattle. The new rule will go into effect on August 17, 2003. After that date, bicyclists in Seattle cited for violating the bike helmet regulation could receive an $80 fine.

"This is an important step for reducing traumatic brain injuries," said King County Board of Health Chair Carolyn Edmonds. "As a result of this regulation, we will spare hundreds of local families the ordeal of watching their children or other family members suffer through a devastating injury or of losing a loved one in a senseless, preventable tragedy."

Many communities in Washington State have recognized the importance of bike helmet ordinances and regulations as part of a sound injury prevention strategy.

"The evidence is clear. Requiring riders to wear bike helmets will save lives and reduce serious bicycle injuries," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County. "This thoughtful action by the King County Board of Health protects the scores of Seattle residents who ride bicycles for pleasure or transportation every day."

Several studies have shown that legislation in combination with education increases helmet usage and decreases head injuries. In addition, local researchers have found that bike helmets reduce head injuries by 65 - 85%. Moreover, Public Health-Seattle & King County, with support from the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center and the Centers for Disease Control, has estimated that $10 million a year could be saved if every bicyclist in King County wore a helmet.

This Board of Health action is consistent with a Seattle City Council resolution, passed unanimously in June, supporting the extension of King County's mandatory bicycle helmet rule into City limits.

Many organizations in Seattle and King County provide low cost bike helmets. Public Health - Seattle & King County maintains a list of these providers on its website.