Taking care of our own and the safety of others in everyday traffic is vital, a statement most people would agree with. The guidelines on keeping safe aren’t anything new, but if we pay close attention, we can see that they are primarily focused on motor vehicle crashes and rarely on other participants in the traffic.
Helmet statistics show that people using bicycles are equally important in traffic as they are easily hurt and killed in road accidents.
Cyclists get hurt for several reasons: bad visibility, fast driving, cycling under the influence, etc., and one thing that can help them in all of these situations is a well-made and properly used helmet.
We’ll go through some quick statistics to present why they are so vital:
Breathtaking Helmet Safety Facts (Editor’s Choice)
- Over 1,850 cyclists lost their lives in one year in the United States
- Over 670 cyclists died in accidents in 2020
- Almost 90% of deaths are among people aged 20 or over
- Nearly 50% of parents don’t find bicycle helmets necessary
- The annual helmet cost is about $261 million
- Over 95% of cyclists that lost their lives in New York weren’t wearing helmets
- In the last 20 years, over 25,000 lives have been saved by helmets
- In 2020, almost 70% of US motorcyclists wore helmets
Latest bicycle helmet statistics
The helmet-wearing issue is a complex one, and besides an array of similar, positive studies, there are ones that claim helmets haven’t improved our safety or perhaps they even endangered it more. To make this picture clearer, we will present all the relevant statistics that we came across.
1. 857 cyclists died in one year in the US, recent data shows.
(US Department of Transportation)
If a car hits a bike, it’s not hard to guess who will be the loser. That’s why the US Department of Transportation highlights the importance for everyone to follow the rules on the road and prevent accidents.
They also advise choosing the right size and always adapting the helmet properly, since a badly placed one can’t provide much protection. As they say, this can move the curve up in the positive direction of the cycling helmet statistics.
The number of 857 deaths in a recent year represents an increase of 6.3% and the highest number seen in decades.
2. Latest data points to 783 pedal cyclist deaths in one year alone
(Crash stats)
Urban areas were the sites of 75% of 783 killed cyclists, the latest data shows. It seems like this grave fact didn’t affect people enough to comprehend the reality of bike helmet safety facts.
As a result of these circumstances, the US had an increase in bike rider deaths in the following year.
3. Great Britain had more than 11 cyclists suffering severe injuries or death per day, according to the most recent data
(Folksam)
In the most recent data pool available, Great Britain had 4,205 bicyclists suffering serious injuries or death in a single year. The statistics show that about 40 cyclists a day are admitted for head injuries which propel the importance of talking about the safety of helmet facts.
Moreover, 70% of injuries occur in a single bicycle crash (meaning no one else is involved) which shows that they can happen to anyone at any time.
4. Folksam tested 27 helmets in 2020 and found that only four don’t meet the 50% protection from concussion threshold
(Folksam)
Only four out of 27 tested helmets didn’t prove a 50% or above mitigation level regarding concussions.
Their simulations showed that the influence on the gray matter in opaque impacts varied from 12% to 32% in different helmets. These bike helmet statistics will prove valuable to anyone buying a helmet and encourage people to look for bike helmet reviews.
5. Most bicyclist deaths are among people older than 20, which is 87%
(Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
Even though death rates from bicycle crashes are in a steady decline over the decades among people older than 20, still the number has tripled in the last four decades and is now 87% of total cyclist deaths. The assuring information is that child fatalities have declined.
This is a valuable addition to helmet safety facts, explaining the likely main reason behind the decline—parents pressuring their children into wearing helmets. On the other hand, adults easily disregard wearing them.
6. New York City Report: 97% of cyclists that died weren’t wearing a helmet
(Helmets.org)
The report from New York City noted that helmets and bike lanes could reduce fatalities in their city. Besides the fact that 97% of those who died weren’t wearing a helmet, only 13% of people with serious head injuries wore a helmet.
This record is most contrary to the helmet vs no helmet statistics, as it leads us to believe that urban area cyclists definitely require protection when riding.
7. Men make up 87% of all bicycle deaths, latest data shows
(Injury facts)
Men seem to take the bigger slice of the pie when bicycle recklessness is in question. 87% vs 13% isn’t a slight difference, and the reason is yet to be discovered since other statistics show 21% of the males wear helmets while the number of females is 28%.
The helmet rate, in this case, doesn’t seem to affect the number of deaths, so there must be other factors involved.
8. Helmeted bike riders have 51% reduced chances of severe TBI and 44% reduced odds of mortality
(The American Journal of Surgery)
A team of MDs conducted a study through which they wanted to analyse the severity of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) after bicycle-related accidents.
In their findings, they provided their bike helmet statistics and concluded that those with helmets had 51% reduced chances of having severe TBI, while mortality odds were 44% lower in people who wore helmets.
Furthermore, they said that helmets also reduce facial fractures and help save lives even after someone has suffered an intracranial hemorrhage.
9. Nearly half of parents, 47%, don’t see the bicycle helmet as necessary
(Safe Kids)
The biggest number of parents, 47% to be exact, say that their child doesn’t wear a bicycle helmet and turn their heads away from bike helmet safety facts. They might believe that their area is safe, view their child as experienced, or simply don’t see the necessity of wearing a helmet.
The rest of the 53% offered different answers, such as: “my child finds helmets uncomfortable,” “other kids don’t wear one,” or “the child thinks helmets aren’t cool.”
10. In 2020, around 675 cyclists lost their lives in accidents.
(Advocacy Advance)
Over 25% of the deaths were the result of hit-and-run accidents. Moreover, the state with the highest number of fatalities was California, with 118 deaths. California was followed by Florida, New York, Texas, and Louisiana.
Older bicycle helmet statistics
11. A 25-year-old Australian study suggests bicycle helmet laws reduced the number of pedal cyclists
(Cyclehelmets.com)
A team of researchers claimed that as Australia brought forward the law on mandatory wearing of bicycle helmets, the number of cyclists declined.
Even though the number of people wearing helmets rose from 31% to 75% in Victoria state alone, the number of children quitting riding bicycles was 2.2 times greater than the increase in numbers of children wearing helmets. So even though the ratio between helmet vs no helmet statistics was satisfying, a deeper look gave a different perspective.
12. Two decades ago, one out of six highway fatalities was a cyclist or pedestrian
(Federal Highway Administration)
The FHA report two decades ago concluded that approximately one of six deaths in highway accidents included a bicyclist or a pedestrian.
The evaluation of that year noted more than 61,000 injured bicyclists and 850 killed ones, which signalled things weren’t progressing in a big way.
13. Latest calculations suggested that the annual costs of helmets were $261 million
(Injury Prevention for Children and Adolescents)
Based on the assessment that there were 85.3 million bike riders and that helmets last five years, while the average price for an adult helmet was $18, the helmet statistics point to the fact that $261 million were spent on these accessories and 20% of the cyclists bought a helmet every year.
14. The cost of head injuries without helmets was $5.8 billion a decade ago.
(Injury Prevention for Children and Adolescents)
Head injuries without protection amounted to $4.13 billion for non-fatal traumas in one year alone. They also concluded that children’s head injuries for both fatal and non-fatal cases cost $2.6 billion while adults came close to $3.2 billion.
Motorcycle Helmet vs No Helmet Statistics
15. Motorcyclists are 37% likely to die in a crash if they aren’t wearing a helmet.
(Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
Helmets are saving lives at a pretty high rate among motorcyclists, with 37% higher chances of survival for anyone wearing it.
In addition, they are 67% effective in saving a person from traumatic brain injuries.
16. 5,172 motorcyclists were killed in one year, latest data available show
(Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety)
Little more than 5,000 deaths were recorded in one year, the latest data shows, and that isn’t good news for motorcycle helmet safety statistics. Namely, this sounds horrendous compared to one decade ago, when the number of deaths was 2,166.
Half a decade ago, there were 88,000 injured on the roads in the US in one year as a result of motorcycle riding.
17. More than 25,000 lives have been saved by helmets in the past two decades
(Injury Facts)
If we looked back 20 years ago, some 25,000 lives were saved by helmets on motorcyclists’ heads. According to the latest data of a couple of years ago, that number was 1,872. The estimate says that if all drivers had worn a helmet, another 802 lives could have been saved that same year.
Furthermore, that same year saw helmets on top of 65.2% of heads only.
18. Helmet wearing saved more than $3 billion in economic costs half a decade ago.
(Crash Stats)
Economic helmet statistics are, to say the least, staggering. In the near past, more than $3 billion in economic and another $19 billion in comprehensive costs were saved purely by people using helmets.
An additional $1.4 billion in economic and $8.3 billion in comprehensive costs could have been saved if everyone on a motorcycle had worn a helmet.
19. Motorcyclists are 16 times more likely to die in a crash than a car driver.
(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
If estimated per driven mile, the motorcyclist is 16 times more likely to die than a car driver. Add a helmet to that equation, and the chances for motorcyclists go up by 29%.
This is where motorcycle helmet vs no helmet statistics matter. Bike riders mostly die due to head injuries which are prevented by 40% when wearing protection.
20. 69% of motorcyclists in the US wore helmets in 2020.
(Statista)
More than two-thirds of Americans were wearing helmets in the year 2019, while at the same time, only 8% of the riders have a U.S. Department of Transportation-compliant helmet.
This can perhaps be explained by the fact that out of 50 states, only 19 states and the District of Columbia have laws that require helmet use for everyone on bikes.
Helmet Safety Statistics – Summary
In summary, helmets represent a crucial part of life for everyone riding on two wheels. Even though it can seem like a hassle or unnatural to wear, a slight sense of discomfort might save your life one day or prevent you from having serious, life–long consequences from an injury.
Luckily, we live in a world where markets are plentiful with all kinds of goods, so you can easily find a helmet that fits your style and makes you feel comfortable.
People Also Ask
This depends on whether we are talking about bicycle riders or motorcycle riders. The former has a 51% reduced chance of severe TBI and 44% reduced chances of dying while helmeted. The latter has a 37% higher chance of surviving if protected and a 67% higher chance of saving themselves from TBI.
Of course, data varies in different studies, but these percentages are a close estimate when all is considered.
The effectiveness of a helmet depends on the type and the quality of the helmet itself. Some are made from tougher material, cover more areas on the head, and are easier to fit.
This question, of course, goes into the realm of “what ifs.” Since no one can know for sure how many people would have survived had they been protected. Thus, only rough estimates could be provided.
In recent years, we should have in mind that we had 5,172 motorcyclist fatalities while the number of cyclists in similar periods was much lower – 857. If we were to take the above statistics and apply it, the year with 5,000+ deaths would have seen a little above 1,900 fewer motorcycle deaths if everybody had worn helmets.
Around 377 lives of cyclists would have been spared if they all had worn helmets.
For bicycle riders, reducing head injuries by wearing a helmet is 51%, while for motorcyclists, this percentage is higher – 67%.
What needs to be considered is that for both of these riders, the head is the primary body part that gets hurt, which is why helmets are always in focus when talking about bike or motorcycle safety equipment.
Not only does it absorb the impact of the force that would otherwise fall onto the skull, but it also protects the neck, thus protecting people from spine injuries.
More than 70% of motorcyclists in the US wear helmets, while approximately 38% of adults and 69% of children wear bicycle helmets.
Motorcycle high rate shouldn’t be surprising, knowing that 19 states and the District of Columbia have regulations that require bike riders to wear them. On the other hand, bicycle statistics show that adults don’t really pay as much attention to their safety as their children’s.
This can come from a belief in one’s skills, while children are not perceived as skilled and require protective equipment.
According to MIPS, no adequate data is available, but around 50 million motorcycle helmets are sold per year, and a little bit less than 50 million bike helmets.
The helmet market is vast, and it includes sports helmets and safety helmets, alongside already mentioned ones.
Helmets for bicycles can range from $30 to $300 plus, but you don’t have to go to the luxury department to get a quality one. Usually, the price is influenced by the quality, design, material, and style. The ones that tend to be trendy will have a higher price tag.
Motorcycle helmets will range from $100 to $1,000 plus. These ensure more safety and comfort than bike helmets, as motorcycles go a lot faster and achieve their maximum speed much quicker.
As we have seen, the helmet statistics for the prices of bicycles and motorcycles differ dramatically.
- Advocacy Advance
- Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety
- American Journal of Surgery
- Crash stats
- Crash Stats
- Cyclehelmets.com
- Federal Highway Administration
- Folksam
- Folksam
- Helmets.org
- Injury Facts
- Injury Facts
- Injury Prevention for Children and Adolescents
- Injury Prevention for Children and Adolescents
- Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
- Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
- MIPS
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Safe Kids
- Statista
- US Department of Transportation
