Canada Safety Council
With warm months providing plenty of reason to enjoy the great outdoors, the Canada Safety Council would like to remind Canadians to wear a helmet when participating in open-air activities involving wheels. These include cycling, inline skating and skateboarding.
In 2011, Canada saw 52 cyclist fatalities according to Transport Canada, down from 62 the year before. Two-thirds of all fatal bicycle collisions involve the head and, while the most serious incidents have historically involved cyclists colliding with motor vehicles, these are not common — vehicular collisions are involved in less than 20 per cent of reported cycling injuries. Most injuries occur from falls or collisions with stationary objects, other cyclists or pedestrians.
In bicycle mishaps, first contact with the ground is usually made by the forehead after a fall, which makes wearing a bicycle helmet even more crucial to provide additional safety for your brain in a spill. The additional cushioning could even save your life.
A Canadian Standards Association (CSA) approved helmet offers multiple levels of protection, with the outer shell reducing friction and penetration while the inner foam spreads the impact out to reduce blunt trauma injury. These cycling helmets are invaluable when riding a bicycle or inline skates.