ACS Endorses Equitable Enforcement of Bicycle Helmet Laws

The ACS, through its Committee on Trauma Subcommittee on Injury Prevention and Control, has revised the Statement on Bicycle Safety and the Promotion of Bicycle Helmet Use that was originally developed in 2014.

The statement now endorses equitable and fair enforcement of helmet laws for children and adults, citing updated statistics on bicycle safety and the efficacy of bicycle helmet use.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1,000 people die and 350,000 people are treated in emergency departments each year due to bicycle injuries in the US. Bicycle crashes accounted for $5.4 billion in medical costs in 2020, and an additional $7.7 billion in lost lives, work, and productivity.

Helmet use has been shown to significantly decrease the risk of fatal and nonfatal head injuries. Estimates indicate that helmets reduce the risk of head injury by 48%, traumatic brain injury by 53%, facial injury by 23%, and fatal injury by 34%.^*

Based on these data, the ACS supports efforts to promote, enact, and sustain universal bicycle helmet legislation and enforcement. The ACS Board of Regents approved the bicycle safety and helmet use statement at its February 2023 meeting in Washington, DC.

Future research is encouraged on the prevalence of helmet use and measurement of the effectiveness of interventions to increase helmet use and ensure equitable enforcement of helmet laws.

Read the full statement on the ACS website at facs.org/bicycle-safety-statement. 

^*Høye A. Bicycle helmets—To wear or not to wear? A meta-analyses of the effects of bicycle helmets on injuries. Accid Anal Prev. 2018 Aug;117:85-97.