R & R with Rachel (Rants and Raves with Rachel): Your Children Love You So Wear a Helmet!

Now that the weather is nicer it's great to see more families outside enjoying time together. Taking a bicycle ride is not only a way to get exercise but it is fun as well. However, why do so many adults think it is not necessary for them to wear a helmet? Parents know children are required to wear bicycle helmets, but many adults never think to put one on themselves. This idea is incomprehensible to me. Do adults feel that they are immortal? Are adults any less susceptible than a child to suffering from a severe brain injury if they have an accident on a bicycle? I wouldn't be married today if it wasn't for a helmet. Before I met my wife she was in a bicycle accident directly outside her house. She broke her jaw on both sides as well as many teeth. It was months before she was up and around and to this day she still has occasional pain. However, if it wasn't for a helmet protecting her head, doctors said she would have been dead.

When I see someone biking without a helmet I usually call after them asking why there isn't one on their head. People must think I am crazy. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, injuries to the head are one of the main causes of death and traumatic brain injury for cyclists. In 2013 in the United States, over 900 bicyclists were killed and there were an estimated 494,000 emergency department visits due to bicycle-related injuries. The majority of deaths on bicycles occur due to head injuries. Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by up to 85%.

So what are we to make of the above information? First of all, I think it is clear: Getting riders of all ages to wear helmets is important and much easier than sustaining an injury or accident to the head. If you think that as an adult riding your bike without a helmet is okay, imagine this scenario: your child wants to play football. You agree to let them play. Then you proceed to let your child go to practices and games without wearing their helmet onto the field. This seems totally ludicrous. But every time you go riding without a helmet (or allow your child to do so) you are actually doing something even more dangerous than the above proposed scenario. Statistics prove this to be true.

There are many metaphorical situations that I can think of that can also be compared to not wearing a helmet while biking. Would you drive a car without brakes? Would you go skydiving without a parachute? Would you cross a busy intersection without looking to see if there were cars coming? All of these situations and decisions are incredibly silly and ignorant. But they are just as foolish as riding your bicycle without your helmet.

Maybe people just need to be reminded how important wearing a helmet is both for your health and safety. By enforcing the use of helmets with your family, you can save your life and the life of your child. So, if you pass me on your bicycle and I don't see a helmet on your head you might hear me ask about it. Remember, I am asking on behalf of your children who want you to live a long and happy life.