The Necessity of Bicycle Helmet Laws
Bicycle accidents have increased dramatically in the United States. About 500 American children and teenagers die each year in bicycle accidents, and three-quarters of those deaths come from head injuries (Jacques 1). Recent federal safety reports suggest that helmets can reduce the risk of head injury, but that only 4% of children under the age of ten wear helmets when bicycling. The percentage drops even more for young riders, particularly the rebellious 11- to 14-year-old age group. The younger generation often cites peer pressure, or the "nerd" factor, as the main reason for not wearing a helmet, and many adults say, "I did not wear one as a child, and I'm all right." Although states have been slow to mandate helmet laws because of such attitudes, I support development of bicycle laws. Mandatory helmet use for children under 16 will be effective in reducing head injuries, deaths, and medical insurance costs that affect us all.
A report by the federal safety agency confirms mandated helmet laws reduce the risk of head injuries when bicyclists are involved in an accident. The majority of fatal bicycle accidents involve collision with a motorized vehicle of some kind. According to Louis Jacques, Assistant Professor at Wayne State University, bicycle-associated injuries account for an estimated 600,000 emergency room visits yearly in the United States, and about half of the bicycle accidents are head trauma. However, the federal safety report shows that bicycle helmets can reduce this number of head injuries by 85 percent. Unfortunately, the report also confirms that the use of bicycle helmets remains low unless mandated by law (296). Despite the fact that helmets don't pre...
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...ncreased helmet use, will not only reduce head injuries by 85 percent, reduce deaths, and save millions of dollars for families and taxpayers, but also will spare parents immeasurable anguish. Regardless of one's personal stand on the use of helmets, it can't hurt bicyclists to wear them; it can certainty help. Bicyclists should use their heads by putting helmets on them!
Works Cited
Baum, Bob. "Bicycle Injuries." The Seattle Times. 22 Oct. 2013: A1.
Carnale, Jim. Personal Interview. 22 April 2013.
Jacques, Louis "Cycling." Public Health Report. March 2014: 296-301.
Pessah, Joseph. "Safe Cycling." Newsday. 20 Nov. 2014: 7-8.
Sacks, Jeffrey. " How many Are Preventable." Journal of the American Medical Association. 4 Dec. 2013: 3016-18.
Weiss, Barry. "Bicycle helmets." Journal of the American Medical Association. 4 Dec. 2013: 3032 -33.
Millions of people all over the United States choose motorcycles over automobiles for the thrill, speed, and high performance capabilities. On the other hand, motorcycles are not at all the safest way of transportation. Motorcycles do not provide the passenger with the outer protection that cars provide, therefore, when one crashes, the results are usually much more serious. Injuries to the head are responsible for 76% of fatalities when dealing with motorcycle crashes many of which could have been prevented had the rider been wearing a helmet. For this reason, many states have adopted the motorcycle helmet law. The law states that every passengers must wear a helmet at all times when riding on a motorcycle. This law has created a great deal of controversy. One side supports the law, believing that it protects motorcyclists from danger and saves the economy a great deal of money. The other side argues that the law is unconstitutional and it violates our right to freedom. However, statistics show overwhelming support in favor of the motorcycle helmet law. Although wearing helmets cannot prevent motorcycle crashes, they can greatly reduce the number of deaths caused by head injury as well as lowering taxes, insurance rates, and health care costs. Therefore, the helmet law should be put into effect in every state across the United States.
Injuries are common in most sports that have a contact component attached. Whether it’s at a professional level, or a school level, injuries are always bound to occur in contact sport. This analysis will look into the role headgear could, should and would play, and debates whether it should be made mandatory. Olympic sports such as Ice Hockey, Bicycle Riding and Baseball are just some examples that currently require athletes to wear a form of headgear. However, Australian contact sports such as AFL and Rugby give the option for players to wear headgear for protection. In 2011, 14 year old Ben Robinson was hospitalised after being treated 3 times in a game for head blows in a rugby game . In 1994, professional boxer Bradley Stone died from head injuries whilst boxing against Richie Wenton . Examples like these show the brutality of contact sports. Because of this, my paper will look at the issue of headgear in contact sport and will particularly look at this issue at junior sports level.
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4. Helmets are required in many places so you should check with the police in your area.
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