Re: Helmet efficacy test

On 3/28/2025 4:18 AM, Wolfgang Strobl wrote:

 
According to an accademic textbook about neurology, published by de
Gruyter, the majority of accidental deaths are caused by a brain injury.
This is true for _all_ accidents, not just for cyclists, pedestrians or
people walking around at home.
 
According to that book, around 60% of all accidental deaths are due to
brain injuries. Looking specifically at deaths caused by traffic, in
Germany the figure is around 70% or about 7,000 people per year. Only a
tiny minority of these 70000 people are cyclists, most traffic deaths
are car drivers or pedestrians (run over by cars, I assume).
 
For reference:
 
de Gruyter Lehrbuch
W.Fröscher
Neurologie
mit Repetitorium
1990
ISBN 3-11-010767-8
Kapitel 12, W. Pöll: Traumen
12.1 Traumen des Gehirns und seiner Hüllen
12.1.1 Epidemiologie und allgemeine Angaben zur Pathogenese und
Einteilung der Schädel-Hirn-Verletzungen
 
I mentioned that in 1995 already,  rec.bicycles.soc,
<3rqeld$php@omega.gmd.de>. So it isn't really news. Percentages may have
changed a bit, but not enough to invalidate the conclusion: People who
fear to die from a head injury after an accident should start wearing a
helmet while walking, even inhouse, especially when using stairs. Same
for driving, using public transport, even while just sitting on an
office chair and staring at a screen.

>
About two years ago there was a (rare) discussion in our bicycle club
about mandating helmets. I mentioned that it was far more common for
people to fall in their home and die of TBI than it was on bicycles. One
man surprised me by saying yes, that's how his first wife died.
>
Then maybe a year later I got a long distance phone call from the
brother of one of my best friends in college. My friend had just died by
falling down the stairs to his basement. That was almost certainly a TBI
fatality.
>
Then there are all the TBI fatalities inside cars. But I'll bet that not
one of the bicycle helmet advocates in this group bother to put on their
helmet when driving to or from a bike ride.
>
Fashion is weird and powerful.