The continuing influence of bicycle helmet wearing on bicyclist head injuries in Victoria three years after the introduction of mandatory wearing on 1 July 1990 is evaluated here. Results are presented for both metropolitan Melbourne and the whole of Victoria. Analysis of hospital admissions records was not able to find a relationship between helmet wearing and head injury rates in the immediate pre-law years for bicyclists injured in accidents not involving a motor vehicle. Despite this, head injury rates for bicyclists injured in these crashes was significantly lower than the pre-law level in each of the three post-law years. A significant inverse relationship between helmet wearing and head injury rate was found for cyclists involved in accidents with motor vehicles. The effect of the bicycle helmet law in reducing head injury rates below pre-law trend predictions for bicyclists injured in motor vehicle involved crashes was not clear. (A)
Abstract