Can motorcycle helmets save lives in Virginia?

Indeed, they can. Scientists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, MD, have demonstrated in a new study that bikers who wear helmets decrease their chances of incurring traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Wearing a helmet also lowers the risk of suffering neck area spinal injuries.

This new study from the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that those who wear helmets suffer "22% fewer cervical spine injuries than those who fail to wear helmets."

The study also confirms that bikers who wear helmets reduce their risk of traumatic brain injury by 65%. Also, wearing a motorcycle helmet can lower one's chances of dying in an accident by about 37%.

This landmark study, led by Adil H. Haider, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins, trolled through motorcycle collision data for more than 40,000 accidents that happened between 2002 and 2006.

"We are debunking a popular myth that wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle can be detrimental during a motorcycle crash," said Dr. Haider. "Using this new evidence, legislators should revisit the need for mandatory helmet laws. There is no doubt that helmets save lives and reduce head injury. And now we know they are also associated with a decreased risk of cervical spine injury."

Motorcycle use has risen dramatically during the past ten years in the U.S. Since 1997, motorcycle injuries have increased by approximately 5,000 a year, and motorcycle fatalities have nearly doubled, according to the journal article.

If you or someone you love has been involved in a motorcycle accident in Norfolk or the Tidewater area, we're here for you. Contact Michael Weisberg, P.C. today at1-800-690-0235.