ORANGE COUNTY VOICES / AMY DALE : Bicycle Helmets: The Life You Save May Be Your Child’s

Safety: Many disabling or even fatal injuries could be prevented with a $30 purchase. It’s a public problem that needs a public effort to solve.

Injury is the leading cause of death and disability for America’s children and young adults. So, the Orange County public health department’s concern for preventing injury has become as vital in lowering death rates as our historic involvement in disease prevention.

One serious injury issue currently receiving the public’s attention is bicycle safety. The increased concern is prompted by the recent death of a young bicyclist just a block from his home. The community needs to be concerned about bicycle safety. It also needs to take action to prevent these needless tragedies.

Nationwide, nearly 1 million children under age 14 are treated each year for bicycle injuries. They account for 70% of all bicycle-related injuries treated in emergency rooms, and more than 50% of all deaths. Each year, nearly 600 cyclists under the age of 14 die, most of them from head trauma. Countless other bicycle mishaps and minor injuries are unreported.

In Orange County, from 1983 to 1989, bicycle-related injuries were the third-leading cause of accidental deaths for children ages 10 to 14. The Pediatric Injury Prevention Research Group at UC Irvine reports that in a 1991 study of six central Orange County cities, bicycle-related injuries were the leading cause of hospitalization in that 10-14 age group. Of the 65 incidents reported in this group, 48% suffered head injuries--and only 1 out of the 65 was known to be wearing a helmet.

Helmets reduce the risk of head injury by 85%. Yet they are used by less than 5% of child bicyclists. Parents should never let a child ride a bicycle without wearing a helmet, even when they are close to home or riding short distances. In most cases, bicycle crashes involving children occur in parks, bike paths or driveways. And these crashes are more likely to result from falls than from collisions with motor vehicles.

The average cost of a bicycle injury is $1,098. The average lifetime cost for a severe head injury is estimated to be $4.5 million. The average cost of a helmet is about $30. Why are we allowing our children to take such a serious risk? Many parents do not realize the danger to their children. And they may not wear bicycle helmets themselves. The unavailability of helmets, the cost and the lack of knowledge about selecting appropriate helmets have also been cited as reasons why so many children ride unprotected.

Peer pressure, especially among older children, is another reason why so many youngsters ride bareheaded. Parents are also unable to monitor their children’s helmet-wearing behaviors when the children are riding to school or in other neighborhoods.

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Accident and Poison Prevention has recommended that pediatricians inform parents and patients of the importance of wearing bicycle helmets; that retail outlets carry approved, inexpensive helmets that are available at the time of purchase of a bicycle; and that coalitions of physicians, parents and community leaders work together to promote bicycle safety and helmet usage.

Communities are also looking to policy change as a means to prevent injury. Some Orange County schools have instituted voluntary helmet policies. In Irvine, the school board is considering making it mandatory for elementary school children to wear helmets. And a state Senate bill (1878) has been proposed to allow local jurisdictions to mandate helmet use for bicycle riders 16 and younger.

In the field of injury prevention, a comprehensive approach, including education to promote behavior change, modification of the environment and policy changes to support both, is seen as the most effective way to prevent these serious injuries to our young bicycle riders.