Helmets Do Save Lives on the Slopes, Research Shows | WPN World People News

If you ski or snowboard, a new study offers vital safety information: Helmets do reduce the risk of head injuries and save lives.

The study also found that the use of helmets does not give skiers and snowboarders a false sense of security that might lead them to take risks that might boost their risk of injury.

There really is a great case to be made for wearing helmets. By increasing awareness and giving people scientific proof, we hope behavior changes will follow.

Some skiers and snowboarders argue that wearing a helmet on the slopes reduces ability to see and hear what is going on around them and encourages risky behavior, because they feel protected. Some also suggest that wearing a helmet increases the risk of neck and spinal injury.

These are all just excuses. Our research shows none of those theories hold water.

Besides reducing the odds of sustaining a head injury, helmets also reduce their severity.

Each year in the United States, about 600,000 skiing and snowboarding injuries occur. Up to 20 percent of those are head injuries, and 22 percent of those head injuries are severe enough to cause loss of consciousness, concussion or more serious injuries.

In many cases, skiers and snowboarders who suffer head injuries are not wearing helmets.

As a result of the study's findings, the association recommends that all skiers and snowboarders wear helmets.

Source: HealthDay News