Since 1988, observational studies of bicycle helmet usage in Sweden have been carried out annually by the VTI. The 1996 study was the ninth in this series. The aim of the measurements is to estimate the changes in bicycle helmet usage in Sweden from one year to another. The measurements were carried out through observations of cyclists in 21 municipalities in Sweden, at 160 measurement sites in all, during the first two weeks in September. The 1996 study contains data from all the municipalities and 154 sites and almost 46,000 cyclists were observed. The cyclists were divided into four categories: (1) Children (up to 10 years); (2) Children (nine-year compulsory school); (3) Adults (workplaces); and (4) Public cycle paths (children and adults). During the 1996 study, attempts were made to estimate helmet usage among elderly cyclists and schoolchildren (junior, intermediate and upper levels). According to the 1996 observational study, wearing rate for children (-10) is about 45% which means no change compared with 1995. For children (nine-year compulsory school) the wearing rate increased to 34% compared with 1995. The total wearing rate for adults (places of work) remained on about 10% and is thus unchanged compared with the measurements from the preceding year. The wearing rate on public cycle paths (children + adults) has increased significantly compared with the latest measurement and is now almost 13%. The increase on public cycle paths is most obvious among adults. A conclusion of the study is that helmet usage follows a continued upward trend among adults and children in the nine-year compulsory school. Usage among younger children (-10 years) seems however to have stagnated since 1994. An estimation of total usage in average among the four categories of cyclists also follows an upward trend and in 1996 ends at fully 15%, which is a significant increase compared with 1995. (A)
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