Why your Kid needs a Bike Helmet: Brain Injuries by-the-numbers

March 24th, 2010. By AbiK

Brain Injury Reality Check #1: 1.4 million people get a blow or jolt to the head—or a penetrating head injury—that disrupts the function of the brain each year.

And that’s only the count of those who actually go and receive medical care for a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

So it’s that time of year when the bikes, scooters and skateboards come out of hiding and hit the asphalt, concrete and, in many places, the potholes that come along with it. And it’s all too easy as a parent to be filled with sheer bliss as you watch the kids get out of the house and out of your hair only to realize that you didn’t dig the bike helmets out from the garage or shed…so off go the kids sans protective gear—too impatient to care about safety.

Brain Injury Reality Check #2: Of those 1.4 million traumatic brain injuries (TBI) for which the victims seek medical attention, 50,000 die.

Brain Injury Reality Check #3: Of those 1.4 million traumatic brain injuries for which the victims seek medical attention, 235,000 are hospitalized.

It doesn’t seem like such a big deal at the time—to let your kid go without his helmet just this one time. You feel a twinge of guilt, but heck, WE all rode our bikes without helmets when we were little, right? And we’re fine, right?

Brain Injury Reality Check #4: The leading cause of TBI is falls—falls account for 28% of all traumatic brain injuries.

And the two age groups at highest risk for TBI? Infants or toddlers ages 0 to 4 (think about the recent Graco Harmony High Chair recall), and 15 to 19 year olds (think about spring sports, bikes and ATVs—not to mention car crashes, which account for 20% of TBIs).

Brain Injury Reality Check #5: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that at least 5.3 million Americans currently have a long-term or lifelong need for help to perform activities of daily living as a result of a traumatic brain injury.

Most knocks, bumps and jolts to the head thankfully require no more than an ice pack and some TLC. Some that are a bit more serious require careful monitoring for concussion. But unfortunately, it only takes one fall…one bike crash…one scooter ride over an unseen pothole…to send an unprotected child to the E.R. for a TBI.

Final Brain Injury Reality Check: Only 21 states and the District of Columbia have bicycle helmet laws requiring some young riders to wear a helmet. Translation: over 50% of US States do not have bicycle helmet laws in place to protect children. (iihs.org)

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. Protect your kids with a helmet.

(source: BrainLine.org, a WETA website funded by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center)

Tags: Brain Injury, TBI

This was posted on Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 at 11:53 am and is filed under Accidents, Emerging Issues, Personal Injury . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.