Study: Motorcycle Helmets Decrease Spine Injuries

Motorcycle helmet safety studies are always of interest to riders,
as one of the major issues in the biking community right now is the
necessity of helmet laws. Some riders believe that all riders
should wear a helmet, while others want the right to choose. With
no federal mandate, the issue becomes one that every state has
handled differently.
At the center of these arguments are the safety studies. There have
been numerous studies reporting on the effectiveness of helmets,
some of which have conflicting results. For example, one study that
was frequently cited by "right to choose" bikers was that helmets
can actually increase spine injuries.
The latest study comes out of John Hopkins University School of
Medicine, and it seems decidedly in favor of helmets. Using
accident records from the National Trauma Data Bank, researchers
looked at crashes from 2002 through 2006.
The data strongly disproves the old myth that helmets actually
contribute to cervical spinal injuries. In fact, they were found to
lower the risk by approximately 22 percent. When combined with data
from other studies that found riders are 40 percent more likely to
suffer brain injuries while going helmetless, the research forms a
pretty strong argument for the pro-helmet crowd.