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From: Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: Helmet efficacy test
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2025 12:04:07 -0400
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
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On 3/28/2025 4:18 AM, Wolfgang Strobl wrote:
>  
> According to an accademic textbook about neurology, published by de
> Gruyter, the majority of accidental deaths are caused by a brain injury.
> This is true for _all_ accidents, not just for cyclists, pedestrians or
> people walking around at home.
> 
> According to that book, around 60% of all accidental deaths are due to
> brain injuries. Looking specifically at deaths caused by traffic, in
> Germany the figure is around 70% or about 7,000 people per year. Only a
> tiny minority of these 70000 people are cyclists, most traffic deaths
> are car drivers or pedestrians (run over by cars, I assume).
> 
> For reference:
> 
> de Gruyter Lehrbuch
> W.Fröscher
> Neurologie
> mit Repetitorium
> 1990
> ISBN 3-11-010767-8
> Kapitel 12, W. Pöll: Traumen
> 12.1 Traumen des Gehirns und seiner Hüllen
> 12.1.1 Epidemiologie und allgemeine Angaben zur Pathogenese und
> Einteilung der Schädel-Hirn-Verletzungen
> 
> I mentioned that in 1995 already,  rec.bicycles.soc,
> <3rqeld$php@omega.gmd.de>. So it isn't really news. Percentages may have
> changed a bit, but not enough to invalidate the conclusion: People who
> fear to die from a head injury after an accident should start wearing a
> helmet while walking, even inhouse, especially when using stairs. Same
> for driving, using public transport, even while just sitting on an
> office chair and staring at a screen.

About two years ago there was a (rare) discussion in our bicycle club 
about mandating helmets. I mentioned that it was far more common for 
people to fall in their home and die of TBI than it was on bicycles. One 
man surprised me by saying yes, that's how his first wife died.

Then maybe a year later I got a long distance phone call from the 
brother of one of my best friends in college. My friend had just died by 
falling down the stairs to his basement. That was almost certainly a TBI 
fatality.

Then there are all the TBI fatalities inside cars. But I'll bet that not 
one of the bicycle helmet advocates in this group bother to put on their 
helmet when driving to or from a bike ride.

Fashion is weird and powerful.

-- 
- Frank Krygowski