Child Helmet Laws: Cycling gets safer the more people
who do it
- The most effective way to reduce the likelihood of any kind of injury when
cycling is to increase the number of people who cycle. When cycle use doubles,
the risk of injury per cyclist falls by 35% to 40% [1]
[2] [3].
- An international comparison shows that in those countries where cycle use
is high, cycling is much safer yet very few people wear helmets [4].
- Moreover, the countries with highest cycle use (and low helmet wearing)
also have the lowest levels of childhood obesity [4].
References
[1] Jacobsen PL. Safety in numbers: more walkers and bicyclists, safer walking and bicycling. Injury Prevention, 2003;9:205-209. 
[2] Wardlaw MJ. Assessing the actual risks faced by cyclists,
Traffic Engineering + Control, December 2002.
[3] Leden L, Garder P, Pulkkinen U. An expert judgment model applied to estimating the safety effect of a bicycle facility. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2000 Jul;32(4):589-99.
[4] see: Helmet use, safety and obesity for sources.
