To the Editor: The benefits of bicycle helmet use have been the subject of recent discussion, with calls from some experts to review laws mandating the wearing of helmets.1 The objective of this brief report is to summarise long-term trends in cyclist head injuries seen at an inner-city major trauma centre and determine the odds of any skull fracture or intracranial bleed associated with not wearing a helmet.
The full article is accessible to AMA members and paid subscribers. Login to read more or purchase a subscription now.
Please note: institutional and Research4Life access to the MJA is now provided through Wiley Online Library.
- 1 Department of Trauma Services, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW.
- 2 Emergency Department, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW.
Correspondence: michael.dinh@sswahs.nsw.gov.au
- 1. Wardlow MJ. Bicycling injuries and mortality in Victoria 2001–2006 [letter]. Med J Aust 2009; 191: 295-296. <MJA full text>
- 2. Lehmann R, Lee D, Reid I, et al. Cycling in NSW. What the data tells us. Sydney: prepared by Parsons Brinkerhoff for the Premier’s Council for Active Living, 2008. http://www.pcal.nsw.gov.au/new_nsw_bikeplan_-_whats_happening#background (accessed Sep 2010).
- 3. Gennarelli TA, Wodzin E, editors. Abbreviated Injury Scale. Barrington, Ill: Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, 2005.
- 4. Sikic M, Mikocka-Walus AA, Gabbe BJ, et al. Bicycling injuries and mortality in Victoria, 2001–2006. Med J Aust 2009; 190: 353-356. <MJA full text>
- 5. Thompson DC, Rivara FP, Thompson R. Helmets for preventing head and facial injuries in bicyclists. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2000; (2): CD001855.
- 6. Victorian Neurotrauma Initiative. The economic cost of spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury in Australia. Geelong: Access Economics, 2009. http://www.vni.com.au/ (accessed Sep 2010).
Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.