www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-alaska-study-backs-value-of-helmet-use-for-motorcyclists-20121106,0,2436029.story
By The Associated Press
Dan Joling
8:34 AM AKST, November 6, 2012
ANCHORAGE, Alaska
| Advertisement |
|
|
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.