Helmet Basics

Bike riding, rollerblading, skateboarding and sports are great ways to get your kids outdoors for some fresh air and exercise. But before you let your kids scoot out the door it is important to make sure your child is pedaling, skating or playing safely.

Why Wear A Helmet?

Well beside the answer, "It protects your brain," helmets absorb the "crash energy" or impact of a fall. Human brains are easily injured by impact or by extreme, violent rotations of the head. In the incident of a crash, the brain remains stationary, which causes force on the blood vessels and nerves. Internal blood vessels and nerves pull on parts of the brain as the head absorbs the shock of the crash. This strains the vessels and nerves which may cause vessels to rupture and disrupt the flow of oxygen and blood to the brain. This sequence of events can cause severe and even fatal brain damage.

A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that can change the way the brain normally works. Concussions can also occur from a blow to the body that causes the head to move rapidly back and forth. Even a mild bump or blow to the head can be serious.

How Does A Helmet Work?

Helmets are designed with a layer of crushable foam that absorbs the impact from a fall. When a person crashes and their head hits a hard surface, the foam of the helmet crushes, controlling the force of the blow and extending their head's stopping time by about six thousandths of a second. Although this seems like an incredibly short period of time, it is long enough to reduce the peak impact to the brain. The thicker the foam, the better the helmet. Thicker foam gives a person's head more room and milliseconds to stop.

Healthykids.org offers these tips to help you buy the right helmet for your child:

Choose a helmet that sits level on your child's head. There should be about two finger widths from eyebrow to helmet
Be sure helmet straps fasten tightly under your child's chin. The helmet shouldn't move when your child shakes his/her head
Check to be sure the helmet has a seal of approval from organizations like the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or Snell Memorial Foundation
Replace your child's helmet every three to four years or after a crash. Helmets lose their ability to absorb shock after taking a serious hit .

"But Mom, No One Else Has To Wear A Helmet!"

Most bicycle accidents result in more than just a few cuts, scrapes and tears. Every year, more than half a million children suffer a serious injury as the result of a bike or skating accident. Most of those injuries could have been avoided if the child had been wearing a helmet. Having problems getting your child to wear a helmet? Share these ThinkFirst statistics and you will have your child in a helmet in no time.

Bicycle

Teaching your child the importance of being a safe biker and wearing a helmet reduces your child's risk of a serious brain or head injury by 85 percent.
More kids five to 14 are admitted to the emergency room with bike-related injuries than any other sport
Each year, bicycle-related crashes kill about 900 people; about 200 of those killed are children under 15
90 percent of bicycle-related deaths involve collisions with motor vehicles
37 percent of all bicycle crashes occur between 5 and 9pm
July, August and September have the highest percentage of bicycle-related deaths
Each year, approximately 567,000 people are admitted to hospital emergency rooms with bicycle-related injuries; about 350,000 of those injured are children under 15. Of those children, about 130,000 sustain brain injuries.

Rollerblading and Skateboarding

The likelihood of visiting the hospital is one in 25 every year if you rollerblade
Six out of every 10 skateboard injuries are among children under 15 years of age
About 50 percent of skateboarding injuries occur from hitting uneven surfaces
45 percent of skating incidents take place in the spring, while 28 percent take place in the summer

Contact Sports

Each year, U.S. emergency departments treat an estimated 135,000 sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, among children ages 5 to 18.
Concussions can occur in any sport or recreation activity. Failure to detect and treat a TBI or concussion can lead to detrimental effects for an athlete. Remember: It's better to miss one game than the whole season.
Once a person suffers a TBI or concussion, he/she is four times more likely to sustain a second one.
After several concussions, it takes less of a blow to cause another injury and requires more time to recover.
Recurrent brain injuries that occur within a short period - also known as second impact syndrome - often lead to brain swelling, which can be quite serious or even fatal, and may not respond to medical treatment.

Rules of the Road

Before you send your children off pedaling make sure they know the rules of the road. Stress to your children the importance of being a defensive biker. They should never assume they have been seen by a motorist or other pedestrian.

Remind your child:

When riding in groups, ride single file and with the flow of traffic
Follow all traffic signs, signals and lane markings
Look both ways before crossing the street and always walk the bike when crossing the street
Stay out of driver's blind spots and use appropriate hand signals

Play Safe

In order to avoid a concussion or other brain injuries related to sports, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) recommends the following :

Any athlete who is suspected to have suffered a concussion should be removed from participation until he or she is evaluated by a physician with training in the evaluation and management of sports concussions.
No athlete should be allowed to participate in sports if he/she is still experiencing symptoms from a concussion.
Following a concussion, a neurologist or physician with proper training should be consulted prior to clearing the athlete for return to participation.
A certified athletic trainer should be present at all sporting events, including practices, where athletes are at risk for concussion.
Education efforts should be maximized to improve the understanding of concussion by all athletes, parents and coaches.

Bottom Line: The brain is irreplaceable. Any brain damage your child suffers will be with him or her for the rest of his or her life. Don't let a leisurely ride or activity turn into a tragedy. Help Your Child Protect Their Melon!