The data presented by LeBlanc and colleagues show that the risk of head injury per cyclist did not change as a result of the law, but rather the risk of other injuries approximately doubled. Their bicycle count data show a 40%–60% fall in the number of cyclists after the law was passed, from 88 per day down to 33 or 52 per day. Their injury data show a sharp fall in total injuries in 1997, but for 1998/99 the number of injuries was higher than before the law (443 v. 416). The absolute number of head injuries has fallen by half, but so has the number of cyclists, although the total number of injuries has increased. Likewise, the claim of a doubling in the rate of helmet use omits the more telling point that the absolute number of cyclists using helmets did not materially change. (Author/publisher)
Abstract