Protect your head - wear the gear
by Dr. Charles Gardner

With spring in full bloom and summer just around the corner, children have eagerly taken the bicycles out of the garage and are out riding again. Kids love the freedom of riding their bicycles. And wearing properly fitted helmets will allow them to enjoy this great outdoor activity for years to come.

Each year, hundreds of children will visit the hospital with head injuries - and some of them may die - as a result of not wearing a helmet or not wearing it properly. This is why it is so important that parents take the time each year to review helmet safety with their children before they begin wheeling down the road. Just remembering a few helpful tips may prevent serious head injuries and may even save your child's life.

Helmets work by absorbing the force of an impact, spreading that force over the entire helmet, reducing the impact on your head and brain. Skulls are hard, but they are not thick and a skull can easily crack in a fall from a bicycle. The brain floats in a sac of fluid and any trauma to the head can cause potential movement of the brain, resulting in bleeding and swelling of the brain. A bike helmet worn properly will reduce the risk of head injury by up to 85 per cent.

Reading the instructions that come with the helmet is as important as wearing it. A proper

fit is critical for protection. Even before you buy your helmet, take it out of the box and check the fit before buying. The pads that come with a new helmet will help fit the helmet properly.

Try the "2-4-1 helmet salute" to make sure you have the right helmet. A helmet is on properly if two fingers fit above your eyebrow to the bottom of your helmet, if four fingers make a V-shape around the bottom of your ears and only one finger fits under the strap beneath your chin.

Make sure that you check for the Canadian safety approved stickers that certify that the helmet design has been tested by the manufacturer: Canadian Standards Association (CSA), American

Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Snell, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Standards Association of Australia (SAA) and British Standards Institute (BSI).

Don't buy a used helmet. Helmets are designed to work with one crash only and then need to be replaced. If you don't know the history of the helmet, don't use it.

Remember that only bike helmets are to be used for bike riding. Hockey helmets are not designed to absorb the same impacts that can happen with bike collisions or falls.

In Ontario, cyclists under 18 are required by law to wear an approved bicycle helmet when riding a bike on a roadway or

sidewalk. Legislation makes it clear to the public that helmets are necessary. In areas that have child bike helmet laws, there are 25 per cent fewer head injuries from cycling than in provinces without legislation.

You can also set a good example for your children by wearing the gear yourself. Adults are not immune to those head injuries that can happen when a helmet isn't worn.

For more information on keeping your children safe, call Health Connection Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at (705) 721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 and speak with a public health nurse or check www.simcoemuskokahealth. org.