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Cycle helmet effectiveness in New Zealand
L J Povey1, W J Frith, P G Graham
1Land Transport Safety Authority, Wellington, New Zealand.
Accident; Analysis and Prevention
|September 16, 1999
Summary
Mandatory cycle helmet laws in New Zealand significantly reduced head injuries across all age groups. Increased helmet use correlated with fewer cyclist head injuries in both non-motor vehicle and motor vehicle crashes.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Injury Prevention
Background:
- Cycle helmet wearing rates in New Zealand increased significantly from 1989 to over 90% by 1996.
- Legislation mandating cycle helmet use was enacted in January 1994.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of increased cycle helmet usage on hospitalised head injuries.
- To assess the association between helmet wearing rates and cyclist head injuries in different crash types and age groups.
Main Methods:
- Utilized cyclist limb injuries as a proxy for exposure to cycling trauma.
- Analyzed hospitalised head injury data from 1990 to 1996, differentiating between non-motor vehicle and motor vehicle crashes.
- Subdivided non-motor vehicle crashes by age group (primary school, secondary school, adults).
Main Results:
- Head injuries decreased with higher helmet wearing rates for both non-motor vehicle and motor vehicle crashes.
- A 5% increase in helmet use correlated with reductions in head injuries: 10.2% (primary school), 5.3% (secondary school), and 3.2% (adults) for non-motor vehicle crashes.
- The compulsory helmet law (1994) led to estimated head injury reductions of 24-32% in non-motor vehicle crashes and 20% in motor vehicle crashes.
Conclusions:
- Compulsory cycle helmet legislation effectively reduced hospitalised head injuries in New Zealand.
- No significant change in the severity of hospitalised head injuries was detected, possibly due to small sample sizes of severe injuries.