children and bicycles

Published on: May 16, 2021

Drop in Bicycle Head Injuries in Kids, But Adults Still at Risk

The month of May marked the beginning of national bicycle safety month. Thanks to a greater focus on helmet usage and other factors, there has been a significant reduction in the number of American children suffering serious head injuries in bicycle accidents. However, adults continue to be at risk of suffering head injuries in these accidents, with injury rates in this section of the population barely budging.

According to a new study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, there was a significant drop of close to 50% in bicycle-related head injuries in children between 2009 and 2018. The researchers credit a number of factors for this significant drop in injuries in this section of the population. The most important factor has been the increased usage of bicycle helmets. Awareness campaigns that have pushed for the use of helmets in children have led to a greater awareness of the risk of bicycle-related head injuries in this section of the population. These injuries can be especially dangerous in little ones. Several cities, including those in Georgia, have also significantly invested in the construction of bicycle lanes that have ensured that children and adults are not exposed to motorists and the risks of accidents involving cars.

However, those same safety interventions do not have seem to have had any effect on the number of head injuries in adults. During the same period of time, the rate of traumatic brain injury involving bicycle accidents among adults dropped by less than 5.5%. This in spite of the fact that there was an increase in bicycle accident-related fatalities among adults during the study. In fact, in 2018, the number of bicycle accident fatalities involving adults in the United States was the highest in over two decades. According to the researchers, the drop in bicycle head injuries involving children has been as much as 9 times greater than those involving adults.

Published on: May 29, 2019

Disturbing Trend of No Helmets While Biking Endangers Children

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Despite laws in Georgia and throughout the country, it may be surprising to know that many American parents fail to require their children to wear protective helmets while riding a bicycle or scooter, or skateboarding.

Those were the findings of a new poll that surveyed 1,300 parents across the country. According to the poll, as many as 18 percent of the parents admitted that their children never wore bicycle helmets while riding a bike. More than 58 percent admitted that their children didn’t wear helmets while skateboarding, and 61 percent admitted that their children never wore helmets while riding scooters.

Bicycling, skateboarding, and riding scooters are becoming more and more popular in Atlanta, not just as a form of recreation, but also as a form of transportation. These activities, however, also have a high potential for causing serious, or even fatal, injuries to a child. When a parent allows a child to ride without wearing a safety helmet, this only contributes to the risk of the child incurring serious injuries which can have devastating and often life-long impacts.

Published on: April 9, 2010

Bicycle Safety Tips for Children

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Bicycle Safety Tips for Children

A tragic bicycle accident last week in south Fulton County killed a nine-year-old boy. The tragedy is a reminder of the risks to Atlanta’s children as summer creeps up on us.

More children can be expected to take to their bicycles as the weather gets warmer, and as Atlanta bicycle accident lawyers, we are concerned at the possibility of accidents involving kids on bicycles. There is much that parents can do to encourage safe bicycling habits in their children.