Some great work has been done on researching how effective helmets are at protecting bike riders, motorbike riders and workers from head injuries.
The research is great but it doesn't take a huge amount of brains to realize that putting a protective shell around one's hat holder makes sense any time you are doing anything that is riskier than a simple stroll around the neighbourhood or a gondola ride.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is lobbying the federal government to create a set of national standards for helmets.
This is a concept that the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada really should back.
Thankfully, the cyclists embraced British Columbia's helmet law when it was introduced. Many cyclists wear helmets most of the time.
And, there is a set of standards for cycling helmets. When riders shop for a helmet most of the helmet makers have products that are certified as meeting a set of industry standards.
Some of the helmets sold to snowboarders, skateboarders and in-line skaters do not meet any standards. While a poorly-designed helmet probably provides better protection than no helmet, our nation needs to look at having a set of standards in place to make sure that the protective gear we buy is going to offer effective protection as opposed to minimal protection.
The helmet lobby most often points to snowboarders, in-line skaters and skateboarders as the people most in need of nationally-certified helmets. In our area I think of the climbers who choose to scale the Smoke Bluffs and the Stawamus Chief without a helmet and others doing countless other activities without head protection.
Studies show that brain buckets make financial sense, not just for individuals but for society.According to helmet advocate Richard Kinnar of West Vancouver, in countries where helmet standards exist for cyclists the risk of injury is reduced by 45 to 88 per cent. He says that $29 in health care costs are saved for every $1 spent on helmets.
Statistics are great and talk of saving health dollars is nice also. But, the bottom line for individuals is that if you have an accident while enjoying all that the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada has to offer you are going to be better off afterwards if you were wearing a helmet.
Save yourself some potential pain the next time you plan to do something active by putting on a Canadian Standards Association approved helmet before you hit the park, crags, trails, slopes or waters.
