NATIONAL SAFETY AGENCY EXPANDS "BUCKLE UP" MESSAGE TO INCLUDE BICYCLE HELMETS

NATIONAL SAFETY AGENCY EXPANDS "BUCKLE UP" MESSAGE TO INCLUDE BICYCLE HELMETS

NATIONAL SAFETY AGENCY EXPANDS "BUCKLE UP" MESSAGE TO INCLUDE BICYCLE HELMETS

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
May 13, 1997

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 13, 1997
NHTSA 30-97
Contact: Chuck Jackson
Tel. No. (202) 366-9825

NATIONAL SAFETY AGENCY
EXPANDS "BUCKLE UP" MESSAGE
TO INCLUDE BICYCLE HELMETS

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is expanding its annual May message encouraging safety belt use to include "buckling up" helmets before riding a bicycle. May is National Bike Month.

"We are adding bicycle helmets to the agency's traditional '"buckle up" appeal which usually focuses on vehicle safety belts, child safety seats and booster seats," said Ricardo Martinez, M.D., NHTSA administrator. "A bicycle helmet is the single most effective safety device available to reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes. They save lives and we want people to use them."

According to Martinez, head injury is the leading cause of death in bicycle crashes and is the most important determining factor in bicycle-related death and permanent disability. He said most head injuries can be prevented by using a helmet.

In addition to the tremendous safety benefits, helmets are also very effective in reducing the unnecessary cost of health care for riders injured in bicycle-related incidents. NHTSA estimates that universal use of bicycle helmets by children ages 4 to 15 would prevent between 135 and 155 deaths, between 39,000 and 45,000 head injuries and between 18,000 and 55,000 scalp and face injuries annually.

According to data collected by the Brain Injury Association, a person who survives a catastrophic head injury typically needs five to ten years of intensive rehabilitation services. The lifetime cost of these services could exceed $4 million.

NHTSA supports bicycle helmet laws. They have proven effective in efforts to increase bicycle helmet use. Fifteen states have enacted age-specific bicycle helmet laws, and efforts are underway in several other states to enact legislation. These laws generally require riders under specific ages --usually age 16 --to wear a helmet.

NHTSA wants people to "buckle up" no matter what type of vehicle they choose and offers the following safety tips:

Always wear a bicycle helmet everywhere and every time you ride.

Bicycle helmets should fit comfortably and snugly, but not too tightly. Position the helmet on top of your head in a level position. The helmet straps must always be buckled.

Make sure the helmet meets national safety standards developed by either the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the Snell Memorial Foundation or the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

Learn the rules of the road and obey all traffic laws. Ride on the right side of the road with traffic, not against; use appropriate hand signals; respect traffic signals; stop at all intersections --marked and unmarked --and look both ways before entering a street.

Be sure to wear reflective gear whenever appropriate to increase visibility.

National Bike Month is supported by the League of American Bicyclists, National Safe Kids Campaign, American Academy of Pediatrics, Brain Injury Association, American Automobile Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Safety Council and the department's Federal Highway Administration as well as NHTSA.