Bicycling is the Number One Cause of Traumatic Brain Injuries in Sports

When thinking about traumatic brain injuries, we usually think football or other violent sports. However in 2015, according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons bicycle accidents played a role in 86,000 of the 447,000 sports-related head injuries treated in emergency rooms. During the same time football injuries accounted for only 47,000 injuries Cycling is the leading cause of sports-related head injuries in children under 14 years of age, roughly double the number related to football.

In Indiana there is no mandatory helmet law for bicycle riding, like there is for riding a motorcycle. The bicycle is the world’s most popular form of transportation. In 2011, an estimated 133 million bikes were manufactured, more than double the number of cars sold.

In Indiana, one may ride a bike safely on a sidewalk or pedestrian walkway. However, a bicycle is considered a vehicle when driven in the street. That’s where most deadly accidents occur. About 90 percent of the bike riders who died in the United States in 2015 were not wearing helmets. Please be careful when riding your bicycle this summer.