4 ms·
A pedestrian dies every 1.6 hours in traffic accidents in the United States. 129,000 go to the ER every year (note that the bicycle number is all injuries, not
by RyanCavanaugh 8y ago
A pedestrian dies every 1.6 hours in traffic accidents in the United States. 129,000 go to the ER every year (note that the bicycle number is all injuries, not just those requiring ER treatment). Walking is more dangerous on a per-trip basis than driving.
If we did a study that compared helmeted pedestrians to unhelmeted pedestrians, I'm sure the latter would fare better in terms of head injuries.
Yet no one wears a helmet while walking and no one thinks Nike is irresponsible to sell you shoes that don't include a helmet.
- lev99 8y agoWe can always do more for safety. How would you strike the balance between public safety and too many regulations? The 2010 515,000 bicycle related injuries required ER attention, [0] so the problem is significant enough in size to merit policy. The single biggest risk factor for death or disability in bicycle accidents is head trauma, and helmets are highly effective at reducing the risk of head trauma in bicyclist. [1] Bicycle helmets are a cheap and effective preventive measure to a real public health problem. [0]https://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/toolstemplates/entertainmented/tips/HeadInjuries.html https://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/toolstemplates/enter... [1]https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002243751630278X https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002243751...