Cars by Far Most Common Cause of Brain Injury

I dont look at Readers Digest but this was posted on another list :-

Reader's Digest magazine printed an article "Mind Games", August 2006,
pages
114-119.

Excerpt:
"Head trauma often results in memory impairment, which is a risk factor
for
future development of dementia. You can prevent head injury by using
the
appropriate gear during high-speed activities and contact sports.

Car accidents are by far the most common cause of brain injury, and
wearing seat
belts greatly reduces the injury risk. Use a helmet when bicycling,
riding on a
motorcycle, in-line skating and skiing."

A drawing of a ''just-crashed'' bicyclist wearing a helmet
accompanyied the text.

Since car crashes are the most common cause of brain injury, why did
they single out bicyclists for the illustration when a more accurate
public safety message would show car drivers and car occupants
wearing helmets.

I'd take the message a bit further. Motor vehicle drivers, after
killing mostly occupants and drivers, then (in the death toll
hierarchy), go on to kill more pedestrians than cyclists. Therefore
any picture to illustrate such a public safety message should surely
include helmet-wearing pedestrians :-)

Which reminds me to look up again of Malcolm Wardlaw's essay Three
Lessons for a Better Cycling Future where he deliciously paints a
future environment of Safe Walking, helmeted pedestrians walking the
pavements.... :-)

B

.... and don't forget the ultimate in head gear fashion, the Thudguard,
to ensure a long and happy life ..

at http://www.thudguard.com

thrawn wrote:
I dont look at Readers Digest but this was posted on another list :-

Reader's Digest magazine printed an article "Mind Games", August 2006,
pages
114-119.

Excerpt:
"Head trauma often results in memory impairment, which is a risk factor
for
future development of dementia. You can prevent head injury by using
the
appropriate gear during high-speed activities and contact sports.

Car accidents are by far the most common cause of brain injury, and
wearing seat
belts greatly reduces the injury risk. Use a helmet when bicycling,
riding on a
motorcycle, in-line skating and skiing."

A drawing of a ''just-crashed'' bicyclist wearing a helmet
accompanyied the text.

Since car crashes are the most common cause of brain injury, why did
they single out bicyclists for the illustration when a more accurate
public safety message would show car drivers and car occupants
wearing helmets.

I'd take the message a bit further. Motor vehicle drivers, after
killing mostly occupants and drivers, then (in the death toll
hierarchy), go on to kill more pedestrians than cyclists. Therefore
any picture to illustrate such a public safety message should surely
include helmet-wearing pedestrians :-)

Which reminds me to look up again of Malcolm Wardlaw's essay Three
Lessons for a Better Cycling Future where he deliciously paints a
future environment of Safe Walking, helmeted pedestrians walking the
pavements.... :-)

B

wrote:
... and don't forget the ultimate in head gear fashion, the Thudguard,
to ensure a long and happy life ..

at http://www.thudguard.com


".should make a valuable contribution to risk reduction in a similar way to
cycle helmets."
David W Jenkins
BA Mphil(Eng) PhD DCA FTSI
Product Safety Advisor to RoSPA

So, no ****ing use at all then eh?

Tom

In article .com
wrote:
... and don't forget the ultimate in head gear fashion, the Thudguard,
to ensure a long and happy life ..

at http://www.thudguard.com

"Thudguard is the only product of its type in the world"
Presumably because it's pointless, otherwise Mothercare would be cashing
in.

wrote:

... and don't forget the ultimate in head gear fashion, the Thudguard,
to ensure a long and happy life ..

at http://www.thudguard.com

Why not go the whole hog and completely wrap them up in cotton wool?

-Alex

Rob Morley wrote:
In article .com
wrote:
... and don't forget the ultimate in head gear fashion, the Thudguard,
to ensure a long and happy life ..

at http://www.thudguard.com

"Thudguard is the only product of its type in the world"
Presumably because it's pointless, otherwise Mothercare would be cashing
in.

I suspect it's rather worse than pointless actually. We learn to walk
and to fall over at the same time. This helmet may well interfere with
developing the natural reaction to keep one's bonce clear of the ground
when taking a tumble. How much of this is innate and how much learned I
have no idea, but I suspect a mixture of the two. A long term follow-up
of adult head injury rates among former Thudguard wearers might provide
useful data though.

--
Dave...

On 31 Jul 2006 06:53:43 -0700, "thrawn" said
in . com:

I dont look at Readers Digest but this was posted on another list :-

I thought this was going to be about Clarkson...

Actually there is an Aussie (IIRC) who has been given some award for
inventing a padded headband designed to protect car drivers in the
event of a crash.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound