You can find statistics about all sorts of things in many different places. They don’t always agree, therefore they’re not always 100% accurate but they still give a pretty good idea. You can even get statistics about statistics, but that might be going a little too far.

I’ve picked out a few relevant statistics which you might find interesting, and might just encourage you, and your children, not to wait until they have a crash before buying (or wearing) a bicycle helmet. Buckle up every time you start pedaling, just to be on the safe side, you never know when you might need it.

The most recent US statistics available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveal that:

• 716 cyclists died on the US roads in 2008
• This represented 2% of all traffic fatalities
• Around one in seven cyclist who were killed were between the ages of 5 and 15 years
• 52,000 cyclists were injured on the roads in 2007

And other sources:

• 62.6 per cent of bicycle deaths were due to head injuries
• 75.7 per cent of bicycle deaths were caused by collisions with motor vehicles
• 61.7 per cent of the motor collision deaths were due to head injuries

Bicycle Deaths – Helmet Use Statistics

It’s a scary fact (but not really surprising)  that 91% of cyclists who were killed in 2008 weren’t wearing a helmet!

That’s nothing new really, look at these facts from the last 10 years.

• 1998 – 741 out of 758 cyclists who died (98%) weren’t wearing helmets
• 1999 – 698 out of 750 (93%)
• 2000 – 622 out of 689 (90%)
• 2001 – 616 out of 729 (84%)
• 2002 – 589 out of 663 (89%)
• 2003 – 535 out of 626 (85%)
• 2004 – 602 out of 722 (83%)
• 2005 – 676 out of 784 (86%)
• 2006 - 669 out of 730 (95%)
• 2007 – 646 out of 699 (92%)
• 2008 – 653 out of 714 (91%)

(This doesn’t necessarily mean that the deaths were directly related to head injuries).

Even careful bikers fall off, on average, about every 4,500 miles and wearing a bicycle helmet can seriously prevent between 48% and 85% of cyclist head injuries.

What more do you need to know?