www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-alaska-study-backs-value-of-helmet-use-for-motorcyclists-20121106,0,2436029.story

ktuu.com

Alaska: Study Backs Value of Helmet Use for Motorcyclists

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.