Study: Bicycle helmets don't protect kids from concussions

A study shows that bicycle helmets do not offer protection from concussions.

Helmets won't protect your kids from concussions, according to a study by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council.

"I've personally been in several accidents and I've suffered a concussion with a helmet on," said cyclist Kara Tate.

It may not have prevented a concussion, but Tate feels her helmet saved her. "I know it would have been much, much, worse had I not had that protection."

And as a mother, she never lets her kids go without them whenever they're biking, roller-blading, or skating.

Because of lack of evidence, the study found that helmets don't reduce the risk of concussions.

Anthony Quintile hopes the study doesn't give parents the wrong idea. He's part of the Flagstaff Biking Organization, a local advocacy group that had a hand in getting legislation passed in 2010, requiring children to wears helmet while riding bikes in Flagstaff.

"We always have concerns that people are going to read some piece of a piece of a study shared on some sort of social media and think that means, 'Oh, I don't need to wear a helmet when I'm riding a bicycle or doing any other activity that you might sustain a head injury,'" Quintile said.

He says the research doesn't reflect all of the other injuries helmets still protect against.

"Just on face value, bumping your head on concrete with a helmet versus without, you're not going to sustain that simple injury, let alone maybe something significantly more substantial," Quintile said.

The study challenges companies to create and design safer helmets to help reduce rotation of the brain after a crash, called rotational acceleration. Experts say rotation of the brain may cause damage to nerve fibers, leading to concussion symptoms.

While helmet manufacturers continue to make improvements to try to protect the brain, Tate says it's still a no-brainer to wear a helmet. She says they provide her kids with so many more benefits she can see.

"You know they have these bright-colored helmets on and they were reflective, so it was better for their safety in terms of just sharing the road with motorists," she noted.

Read more here