ANCHORAGE, Alaska—
An analysis of 10 years of motorcycle crash data confirms that wearing a helmet in Alaska saves lives and prevents traumatic brain injury.
Deborah Hull-Jilly of the Division of Public Health says the report looked at motorcycle injuries that required hospitalization from 2001 through 2010.
The report says people hospitalized after a crash were 70 percent more likely to suffer a traumatic brain injury and 2.3 times more likely to die if they were not wearing a helmet.
Simple loss of control accounted for 46 percent of the injuries in motorcycle crashes.
Hull-Jilly says a helmet may not make a difference in a head-on crash with a semi but can provide protection in other kinds of crashes, such as sliding along pavement.
