The Safety of Motorcycle Helmets
Motorcycle helmets aren’t a complete preventative against facial and head trauma. A study was done that looked at helmet type and its relationship to rider protection. The study was a retrospective one looking at patients with traumatic brain injury, facial fractures and facial injuries, along with the type of helmet used.
There were 253 motorcyclists in the study who sustained cranio-maxillofacial injuries. A total of 156 patients were not wearing a helmet, 51 were using an open face helmet and 46 were using full face helmets. Unhelmeted riders had higher scores for facial injury when compared to those that had full face helmets. There was no advantage to wearing an open face helmet. Traumatic brain injuries were much greater in open face helmets when compared to full-face helmets.
It was concluded that open face helmets didn’t offer complete protection against injury to the brain, maxilla and other facial bones. Even full face helmets didn’t prevent the rider from complete injury.
Another study indicated that motorcyclists often die or are seriously injured in traffic accidents. Head injuries are particularly common. It has been implicated that helmets lessen driver vision and increase the risk of neck injuries. The study is aimed at assessing the effects of wearing a helmet when it comes to reducing head and neck injuries and lessening mortality. The study looked at motorcycle riders who had a crash and who were or were not wearing a helmet.
Motorcycle helmets definitely reduced the risks of head injury or death in motorists who crashed. Helmets reduced the risk of death by 42 percent and the risk of head injury by 69 percent. There wasn’t a difference between helmet wearers and non-helmet wearers when it came to facial injuries. Helmets didn’t make a difference in preventing neck injuries.
In still another study, the effectiveness of motorcycle helmets was looked at when it came to severe head trauma. Helmets definitely gave the rider the advantage but it was not quantifiable. There were 755 injured motorcyclists in the study. A total of 391 participants had a facial injury and 364 didn’t have a facial injury.
The helmet fixation was felt to have a bigger impact on facial injuries than were helmet types. Motorcyclists that had visor damage were more likely to have facial trauma when compared to those who didn’t have a damaged visor. Any type of helmet when worn properly and when affixed to the head provides protection to the face.
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Motorcycle Injury Attorney with the primary accident information site on the web, www.AutoAccident.com. If you or someone you love has been in a motorcycle accident, call me now at 916-921-6400. You can find out more about our office by looking either Yelp or on Avvo, the attorney raring site.