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Motorcycle helmets may reduce cervical spine injuries during collisions

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A study published online in the Journal of American College of Surgeons shows that riders who wore helmets were 22% less likely than non-helmeted riders to sustain a cervical spine injury after a motorcycle collision.

Investigators say that the study helps dispel the hypothesis that helmet weight causes significant torque on the neck during motorcycle crashes which could contribute to spinal injuries.

“We are debunking a popular myth that wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle can be detrimental during a motorcycle crash,” study leader Adil H. Haider, MD, MPH, assistant professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, stated in a university press release. “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.”

Using the National Trauma Databank, Haider and colleagues reviewed data on more than 40,000 motorcycle collisions between 2002 and 2006. In addition to finding a lower risk of cervical spine injuries after crashes among riders who wore helmets, the study showed them to be at lower risks of traumatic brain injury and mortality.

Many states, including Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas, have repealed laws requiring helmet use during the last 15 years after lobbying from motorcycle riders, Haider stated. Lobbyists against mandatory helmet use often cite a 25-year-old study which found more spinal injuries among helmet wearers, according to the release.

Some, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, criticized the statistical reasoning of that study. “Additionally, helmet technology has significantly improved since that time — now helmets are much lighter, but even sturdier and more protective,” Haider stated.

References:

• Crompton JG, et al. J Am Coll Surg. 2011. doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2010.09.032.
• www.hopkinsmedicine.org