Headway is a charity concerned with "promote understanding of all
aspects of brain injury; and to provide information, support and
services to people with a brain injury, their family and carers."
All very laudable, until you get to their bit about "Information"
http://www.headway.org.uk/default.asp?step=4&pid=43
or
http://tinyurl.com/5j74x
where they declare that they are behind mandatory helmet wearing for
all, and trot out the BHIT statistics.
<begin quote>
Facts and Figures
Admissions to hospital and deaths from cycle related traumas are usually
due to head injury1. In terms of cyclists2, it is known that in the
United Kingdom:
* 8 out of 10 young people cycle
* Each year approximately 200,000 people are injured through
cycling accidents and receive hospital treatment
* 50% of these are children aged 16 and under
* Over 1,300 under 16 year olds are killed or seriously injured
each year through pedal cycling accidents
* 70% of all pedal cycle fatalities are due to head injuries
* Standard Approved cycle helmets are proven to be effective in
reducing head injuries in cycle related accidents by 85%
The wearing of approved helmets by cyclists has been made compulsory in
several states in Australia (1990), in the United States and, more
recently, in New Zealand (1994). However the use of cycle helmets
remains low in Britain, with only 18% of young people who cycle wearing
them.
1. C Maimaris, C L Summers, C Browning, C R Palmer. Injury patterns in
cyclists attending an accident and emergency department: a comparison of
helmet wearers and non-wearers. BMJ, 308, (11 Jun 1994); pp1537-1540
2. The Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust. The Helmet Charter campaign. (1998)
<end quote>
R.