The use of bicycle helmets has greatly increased in the last decade, but despite this safety precaution head injuries have still increased. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that head injuries have increased 51% in the last decade, so safety experts are continuing to make recommendations on safer bicycle riding.
The higher incidence of suffering head and brain injury may be partially attributed to more aggressive bicycle riding due to increased popularity of mountain biking. In addition, wearing a bicycle helmet may allow more riders to become riskier because of the sense of protection it provides them with.
According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, experienced riders will crash ever 4,500 miles on average. Seventy five percent of the 800 deaths that occur every year because of bicycle crashes will result in head injuries. There are over 550,000 riders that will visit the emergency room every year with one in eight injuries being a brain injury. Two of every three of the fatalities are because of brain injury.
Wearing a well-fitted helmet will reduce the likelihood of suffering a serious brain injury, but riders of all levels should still take safety measures.