Acadamy of Pediatrics: Helmets Provide no Significant Protection With ATVs

Filed in archive Rants on December 18, 2007

Ohio Doctors: Helmets Don't Do Much Good

A group of doctors in Ohio have come to the conclusion that helmets don't do much to protect kids from injuries while riding ATVs or other recreation vehicles.

I'm not sure how they came to that conclusion. Especially considering that less than a third of those in the survey were wearing helmets at the time of the accident. That and the fact that the most common injury was to The Head.

Here is there conclusion in all it's wisdom.

CONCLUSIONS. All-terrain vehicle-related injuries to children nearly doubled between 1995 to 1998 and 1999 to 2001. Fewer than 30% of injured children were wearing helmets at the time of injury. With the injury severity score as an indicator, helmets provided no significant protection for all-terrain vehicle riders in this pediatric population.

So lets see, most people don't wear a helmet when the crash, most injuries are to the head, I guess it makes sense that not wearing a helmet is the right thing to do!