Bike helmets reduce injuries by 85 percent

CINCINNATI, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Children and teens may choose to ride their bikes back to school, and if so, helmets need to be mandatory, a U.S. expert says.

Susan Laurence of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center suggests bike helmets reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent and the risk of brain injury by as much as 88 percent.

Over the last 10 years, of the 882 children admitted to Cincinnati Children's Hospital, 8 percent were wearing a helmet at the time of their injury and more than 80 percent of the head injuries treated occurred in those not wearing a helmet.

Laurence suggests parents promote bike safety include by:

-- Not allowing children to ride on the road without adults until age 10.

-- Teaching the rules of the road, including using appropriate hand signals, riding on the right side of the road -- with, not against, traffic -- and to stop and look left, right and left again before entering or crossing a street.

-- Not allowing riding at night.

-- Ensure schools provide cyclists with "safe areas" with few motor vehicles and pedestrians.