If your child were in a bicycle accident in Homestead or your community, would they be protected by a helmet? Although many safety experts and pediatricians agree that helmets are vital in helping prevent potentially deadly head injuries, a new study suggests that only about 11 percent of children wear helmets.
The study, presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in Florida this year, examined children who were treated for injuries in Los Angeles County following bicycle accidents. The study found that children over the age of 12 and children who belonged to a minority group or low income bracket were more likely to not be wearing a bicycle helmet. The study’s authors believe that other communities may also have a similarly low instance of helmet use, so parents in Homestead and other Florida communities may want to take notice.
According to study author Veronica F. Sullins, more needs to be done to target at-risk children to help prevent head injuries and bicycle accidents. Currently, Sullins notes, teens and children have the highest rates of unintentional injury of all age groups, so more effort is needed to address the problem.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about 33 million American children ride bicycles and are on their bikes for a combines 10 billion hours annually – that is a lot of time for a serious injury to occur. According to the CDC, there are about 400 bicycle-related fatal brain injuries each year and about 150 000 brain injuries that require a visit to the emergency room.
According to safety experts, there are a few things that parents can do to help prevent bicycle crashes and related child injuries in Homestead and other communities:
•Buy a helmet that children will enjoy wearing. Ask children for their input when shopping for a helmet and consider buying more than one helmet if budget allows.
•Review bicycle safety rules often; simply wearing a helmet is not enough.
•Insist that children wear helmets when riding a bike or scooter, skateboard, or in-line skates. Refuse to allow children to take part in these activities without a helmet.
•Set a good example by wearing a helmet when bicycling. Consider showing children images of their favorite celebrities wearing helmets when bicycling – children and teens may be more likely to follow suit if they see someone they admire wearing a helmet.
Flaxman Law Group has handled thousands of personal injury cases and cases where people needed help with the insurance claims process. Our attorneys have more than 60 years of combined legal and insurance law experience and have dealt with many traffic accident and bicycle accident cases. Charles Flaxman of Flaxman Law Group also worked for 10 years as an insurance claim adjuster before graduating in the top 2% of his law class. He understands insurance law from both sides of the courtroom, and this can help him negotiate effectively on your behalf when it comes to aggressively pursuing compensation for your injuries. If you or your child have been injured in a bicycle accident in South Florida, contact the Homestead law offices of Flaxman Law Group today.