Georgia Injury Law Blog
Atlanta motorcycle accident lawyers strongly recommend wearing a helmet to reduce your risks of suffering serious or fatal injury in a motorcycle accident. It’s common knowledge that wearing helmets reduces your risk of suffering a brain injury. A new study however shows that wearing a motorcycle helmet may have even more tangible benefits for persons involved in a motorcycle accident. The results of this study prove that wearing a helmet not only reduces the risk of brain injury, but also cervical spine injury.
Researchers at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine analyzed motorcycle accident collisions between 2002 and 2006. The data came from the National Trauma Data Bank. The researchers found that there was a substantially lowered risk of cervical spine injury among motorcyclists who wore helmets. The risk was as much as 22% lower compared to persons not wearing a helmet during a crash.
According to the researchers, this puts to rest a long-held misconception that wearing motorcycle helmets increases your risk of suffering a cervical spine injury. Critics of motorcycle helmet laws have long held that wearing helmets increases the risk of suffering a neck injury, and they often cite 25-year-old studies to support their arguments. The fact is that modern helmets are not just lighter and more sophisticated, but also come with added strength and complete protection.
Cervical spine injuries can often be seen in motorcycle accidents, and can include serious damage to the spinal cord, resulting in total or partial paralysis. These injuries can even be fatal. Cervical spine fractures are some of the most common of these injuries.A cervical spine fracture often requires surgical treatment. Motorcyclists could reduce the risks of suffering these debilitating injuries by wearing helmets while riding.