Re: “Mandatory helmet rules put lid on debate,” March 19.
After a couple of high profile skiing fatalities a decade ago there has been a surge in the number of people wearing helmets. Now, instead skiers are dying with their helmets on. The same can be said for cycling fatalities.
The proportion of fatalities with helmets on exceeds the number who wear helmets. It is both sad and counter-productive that we as a society put so much faith in these “safety” distractions. Notwithstanding Kelly Kurtz’s opinion, the facts as stated in the article are that helmets do not reduce snow sport fatalities.
The claim that head injuries are reduced by 60 per cent seems to make helmets worthwhile, but the statistic is designed to deceive. As with cycling, helmets are nearly 100 per cent effective at reducing the most common superficial injuries and become decreasingly effective as injuries become more severe and rare. Somewhere before the extreme of death they lose any effectiveness at all.
So wear a helmet if you’d like to avoid a scratch or bump on the rare occasion that you hit your head. But don’t expect it to save you from serious injury or death.
