Why Not Wear A Bike Helmet?
Summary: Here are the kids' own reasons why they don't wear helmets.
This is an old survey. It was prepared by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Automobile
Association in 1995. Some of the data has changed, including estimates of helmet effectiveness. Note that the kids were
complaining about helmets made prior to that year, not necessarily today's models.
Kids Speak Out on Bike Helmets
Question: What could persuade more kids to wear bicycle helmets
Answer: Improve the way bicycle helmets look or fit.
That was the opinion of more than two-thirds of 282 children, ages 8 to 13, as reported by the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission (CPSC) and the American Automobile Association (AAA). The children took part in a project to find ways
to encourage more kids to wear bicycle helmets.
Each year, about 400,000 children under the age of 15 are treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related
injuries. An additional 300 children are killed. Bicyclists ages 5 through 14 have among the highest injury rates of all
riders. About one-third of the injuries and two-thirds of the deaths are head-related.
Bike helmets can reduce the risk of brain injury or death by up to 85 percent [more recent estimates put this number at
66 to 88% reduction in the risk of head, brain and severe brain injury for all ages of bicyclists.]. Yet, only about 15
percent of all children nationally wear a helmet when they ride a bike.
To see if children had ideas about how to encourage More kids to wear bike-e helmets, AAA developed and conducted
self-administered questionnaires for- schoolchildren and distributed these to selected AAA clubs in Pennsylvania,
Florida, Oklahoma, Ohio, New Mexico, New York, Nebraska, and Washington. The AAA clubs administered the questionnaires to
local schoolchildren.
AAA Provided CPSC access to the questionnaire responses. CPSC staff reviewed the information and compiled this report.
Improve the Look
More than half the children suggested redesigning the look of the bike helmet as a way to increase helmet usage. In
response to the question: "What one thing would you change on bike helmets to get more kids to wear them?", the answers
fell into the following categories:
- How They Look: 52%
- How They Fit: 23%
- Nothing: 15%
- Other: 10%
Children disliked both the way bicycle helmets looked and how they, themselves, appeared while wearing one, There
were many comments like:
- "They make you look (like a nerd, a geek, weird or dorky.)"
Many wanted to see helmets with "cooler' colors. Many also wanted to see more interesting and varied designs on the
helmets. Other specific comments included:
- "Put baseball, football, and race drivers number and names on helmets."
- "They could make ones where you could paint a design on your own helmet."
- "Give them bills to keep the sun out of your eyes."
- "Make them have pictures of our favorite television characters."
- "Put little compartments on the helmets."
- "Make helmets for girls with ponytails"
Improve the Fit
What children most disliked about bike helmets, however, was the fit. In response to the question; "What do you dislike
about bike helmets?", the answers broke down into the following categories:
- How They Fit: 46%
- How They Look: 25%
- Nothing: 24%
- Other: 5%
Many complained that bike helmets felt uncomfortable on the head. Many disliked the chin strap. Others had problems
with the inside of the helmet. Other typical comments included:
- "They make you sweat and are very tight"
- "I dislike the buckle (of the strap) because sometimes I pinch myself."
- "They are heavy and when you have a ponytail you can't wear them."
When asked specifically what they would change on bike helmets to persuade more kids to wear one, many children
suggested a softer and more comfortable strap. A frequent comment:
- "Make a strap that does not itch or hurt."
Other suggestions for improving the fit included:
- "Make a lot of padding inside."
- "Make them sweatproof."
Improve the Marketing
A number of children had other ideas on how to encourage kids to wear bike helmets. Many suggested using the mass media
and/or role models. Typical comments included:
- "You could make a commercial with a famous person wearing a helmet and kids could use them as role models."
- "Show pros wearing helmets and being cool."
Others felt it was important to make sure kids understood the consequences of riding a bike without a helmet, This
could be done in a number of ways, including:
- "You could show videos on how kids got hurt not wearing helmets."
- "Have kids who wouldn't wear helmets and got in serious collisions go and talk to other kids who won't wear
helmets."
- "Tell them to watch the hazards on the items of kids who don't wear a helmet."
Still others had specific suggestions or, how retailers or local communities could Encourage children to wear bike
helmets. These included:
- "You could sell (bike helmets) for only S5.00 to sell more of them."
- "I would throw in a water bottle (if you buy a helmet)."
- "If You wear one, you got a free pizza."
- "You could have a bike-a-thon to encourage kids to wear bike helmets."
Finally, a number of children stated flatly that there was only one real way to get more kids to wear bike helmets.
Their response: "Make it the law."
Wearing a Bike Helmet
Many children indicated that they understood the importance of wearing a bike helmet. When asked what would happen if
they had a bike crash and were not wearing a helmet, a comment that typified many was: "You could be paralyzed, killed,
or you could suffer brain damage."
This knowledge may have prompted those surveyed here to wear bike helmets at rates higher than the national average. When
asked how often they wore a bike helmet, the children responded:
- Always or most of the time: 43%
- Occasionally: 11%
- Seldom or never: 44%
- No answer: 2%
In a national survey of bicycle riders (children and adults) conducted for CPSC in 1992 (Rodgers, 1994), 17.6% of
the respondents indicated they wore helmets all or most of the time. (This is in contrast to a smaller survey of fourth
and fifth graders in Eau Claire, Wisconsin (1992) where 64% of the students who owned bike helmets reported wearing a
helmet every time or almost every time they rode a bike.)
Still, more than half of the children surveyed here did not wear bike helmets most of the time. This leaves many children
vulnerable to head injuries.
Conclusion
Increasing the number of children who wear bike helmets could greatly reduce injuries and deaths from bicycle-related
accidents, Parental supervision and Community laws requiring bike helmets are some traditional ways to promote bike
helmet use. But, according to the children in this survey, improving the fit and look of bicycle helmets could also
increase helmet usage. As children become more Independent, around the fourth or fifth grade, they are more likely to put
or keep on bike helmets if the helmets are comfortable- As these children become more peer-oriented, they also are more
sensitive to wearing a helmet that looks "cool.' As many children noted here, too, encouraging role models -- such as
sports or movie personalities -- to wear these helmets could only enhance the appeal of bike helmets.
By acting on the sentiments of children like those surveyed here, bike helmet manufacturers, retailers, and advertisers
may have significant marketing opportunities. While some helmet variety -- in terms of colors and fit -- already exists,
there is clearly a universe of children (and their parents) who would welcome more innovations in the design and
promotion of bike helmets.
References
Eau Claire Police Department, WI (1992), 'Bike Helmets. A Study of Their Use by Children of the Eau Claire Area.' Eau
Claire Police Department. Rodgers, Gregory B., et. al. (1994). "Bicycle Use and Hazard Patterns in the United States.'
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC.
Note:This survey was accompanied by a pamphlet and a joint CPSC-AAA press release. We don't find
them online any more.