scholarly journals The impact of bicycle helmet legislation on cycling fatalities in Australia

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 1197-1203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jake Olivier ◽  
Sofiane Boufous ◽  
Raphael Grzebieta

Abstract Background Australian bicycle helmet laws were first introduced in Victoria in July 1990 and the remaining Australian states, Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory by July 1992. Previous research on helmet legislation has focused on changes in helmet wearing and bicycle-related head injury. Although it is generally accepted that bicycle helmets can reduce the risk of fatality due to head injury, there has been little research assessing the impact of helmet legislation on cycling fatalities. Methods An interrupted time series approach was used to assess the impact of bicycle helmet legislation on yearly-aggregated rates of bicycle-related fatalities per population from 1971 to 2016. Results Immediately following bicycle helmet legislation, the rate of bicycle fatalities per 1 000 000 population reduced by 46% relative to the pre-legislation trend [95% confidence interval (CI): 31, 58]. For the period 1990–2016, we estimate 1332 fewer cycling fatalities (95% CI: 1201, 1463) or an average of 49.4 per year (95% CI: 44.5, 54.2). Reductions were also observed for pedestrian fatalities; however, bicycle fatalities declined by 36% relative to pedestrian fatalities (95% CI: 12, 54). Conclusions In the absence of robust evidence showing a decline in cycling exposure following helmet legislation or other confounding factors, the reduction in Australian bicycle-related fatality appears to be primarily due to increased helmet use and not other factors.

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly Merrill-Francis ◽  
Jon S. Vernick ◽  
Keshia M. Pollack Porter

Bicycle helmets protect against head injury. Mandatory helmet laws likely increase their use. Although 21 states and Washington, DC have mandatory helmet laws for youth (variously defined) bicyclists, no U.S. state has a mandatory helmet law that applies to all ages; however, some localities have all-age helmet laws for bicyclists. This study abstracted local helmet laws applicable to all-ages to examine their elements.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Davoudi Kakhki ◽  
Maria Chierichetti

In California, bike fatalities increased by 8.1% from 2015 to 2016. Even though the benefits of wearing helmets in protecting cyclists against trauma in cycling crash has been determined, the use of helmets is still limited, and there is opposition against mandatory helmet use, particularly for adults. Therefore, exploring perceptions of adult cyclists regarding mandatory helmet use is a key element in understanding cyclists’ behavior, and determining the impact of mandatory helmet use on their cycling rate. The goal of this research is to identify sociodemographic characteristics and cycling behaviors that are associated with the use and non-use of bicycle helmets among adults, and to assess if the enforcement of a bicycle helmet law will result in a change in cycling rates. This research develops hybrid machine learning models to pinpoint the driving factors that explain adult cyclists’ behavior regarding helmet use laws.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Brown ◽  
Brandi M. White ◽  
Walter J. Jones ◽  
Mulugeta Gebregziabher ◽  
Kit N. Simpson

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.


1992 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
CARL BONHAM ◽  
EDWIN FUJII ◽  
ERIC IM ◽  
JAMES MAK

2021 ◽  
pp. 084653712110238
Author(s):  
Francesco Macri ◽  
Bonnie T. Niu ◽  
Shannon Erdelyi ◽  
John R. Mayo ◽  
Faisal Khosa ◽  
...  

Purpose: Assess the impact of 24/7/365 emergency trauma radiology (ETR) coverage on Emergency Department (ED) patient flow in an urban, quaternary-care teaching hospital. Methods: Patient ED visit and imaging information were extracted from the hospital patient care information system for 2008 to 2018. An interrupted time-series approach with a comparison group was used to study the impact of 24/7/365 ETR on average monthly ED length of stay (ED-LOS) and Emergency Physician to disposition time (EP-DISP). Linear regression models were fit with abrupt and permanent interrupts for 24/7/365 ETR, a coefficient for comparison series and a SARIMA error term; subgroup analyses were performed by patient arrival time, imaging type and chief complaint. Results: During the study period, there were 949,029 ED visits and 739,796 diagnostic tests. Following implementation of 24/7/365 coverage, we found a significant decrease in EP-DISP time for patients requiring only radiographs (-29 min;95%CI:-52,-6) and a significant increase in EP-DISP time for major trauma patients (46 min;95%CI:13,79). No significant change in patient throughput was observed during evening hours for any patient subgroup. For overnight patients, there was a reduction in EP-DISP for patients with symptoms consistent with stroke (-78 min;95%CI:-131,-24) and for high acuity patients who required imaging (-33 min;95%CI:-57,-10). Changes in ED-LOS followed a similar pattern. Conclusions: At our institution, 24/7/365 in-house ETR staff radiology coverage was associated with improved ED flow for patients requiring only radiographs and for overnight stroke and high acuity patients. Major trauma patients spent more time in the ED, perhaps reflecting the required multidisciplinary management.


1993 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 667-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
A L Dannenberg ◽  
A C Gielen ◽  
P L Beilenson ◽  
M H Wilson ◽  
A Joffe

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Radun ◽  
Jenni Radun ◽  
Mahsa Esmaeilikia ◽  
Timo Lajunen

Some researchers and many anti-helmet advocates often state that because cyclists are wearing a helmet they feel safer and take more risks. This hypothesis - risk compensation – if true, would reduce, annul or even reverse the assumed benefits of helmets in reducing head injuries. Consequently, this hypothesis is often used to oppose mandatory helmet laws. In this article, we illustrate how one of the few studies that attempted to experimentally test the hypothesis in relation to bicycle helmets arrives at a false conclusion. As a result it is often cited as evidence of risk compensation. Given the lack of experimental studies in this research area, the impact of a single study in shaping the opinions of the general public and of policy makers can be significant.


2016 ◽  
Vol 87 (12) ◽  
pp. 1026-1029
Author(s):  
Leigh R. Warren ◽  
Simon Harley ◽  
Jeffrey Dutschke ◽  
Andrew van den Berg ◽  
Christopher Dobbins

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