Citation

Puder DR, Visintainer P, Spitzer D, Casal D. Am. J. Public Health 1999; 89(11): 1736-1738.

Affiliation

Department of Pediatrics, Nyack Hospital, NY, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, American Public Health Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10553398

PMCID

PMC1508999

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of 3 different bicycle helmet laws. METHODS: A direct observational study of nearly 1,000 cyclists at 20 matched sites in each of 3 contiguous counties--Rockland and Westchester in New York and Fairfield in Connecticut--was carried out. Rockland's bicycle helmet law requires approved helmets for all cyclists regardless of age; Westchester's, by state law, requires cyclists younger than 14 years to wear helmets; and Fairfield's, also by state law, requires cyclists younger than 12 years to wear helmets when riding on highways. RESULTS: Rockland cyclists had the highest helmet use rate (35%), followed by Westchester (24%) and Fairfield (14%) cyclists. As a subgroup, teenagers used helmets least, a trend that was seen in all 3 counties. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests a positive effect of bicycle helmet legislation with no age limitation.