No matter what your age or level of experience, whenever you ride a bike, inline skate, ski, or engage in other activities during which your head is vulnerable to injury, a helmet should be worn. Children younger than 12 years should also wear helmets when sledding. Helmets should be taken on every trip, no matter how short. Many accidents happen near home.

Cuts, bruises, and even broken bones will heal, but damage to your brain can be permanent. Even a low-speed fall can result in serious head injury. Such debilitating injuries can be prevented by wearing a helmet.

During a fall or crash, a helmet absorbs much of the force of impact that would otherwise be directed to the head. Thick plastic foam (firm polystyrene) inside the hard outer shell of a helmet crushes to cushion the blow. A helmet should be replaced after a crash.

Each year, bike-related crashes kill approximately 900 people and injure 567,000 others. Although more people than ever are using bike helmets, only half of the more than 80 million bike riders wear them all the time; approximately 43% never use helmets. Wearing a bike helmet reduces the risk of serious head and brain injury by 85%.

Discount department stores and bicycle shops offer many models of helmets that are typically priced around $20 and up. Be sure to choose a helmut that meets the standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission or the Snell Memorial Foundation. Take some time trying on helmets and choose one with the right size and fit.

A helmut should be:

• Snug - It does not slide from side-to-side or front-to-back.
• Level - It is square on top of your head, covering the top of the forehead. It does not tilt in any direction.
• Stable - The chinstrap keeps the helmet from rocking in any direction. Chinstraps should be replaced if any part of the buckle breaks; otherwise, a helmet may fly off in an accident.

Your helmet should be smooth and round. Choose one that motorists will see. Many helmets are ventilated, lightweight, and come in a variety of colors.

Young children are particularly vulnerable to head injuries because they have proportionally larger heads and higher centers of gravity and their coordination is not fully developed. It is more difficult for children to avoid obstacles when biking, sledding, inline skating, skiing, or doing other activities. Children 5 to 14 years of age have the highest injury rate of all bicycle riders, and bike accidents are a leading cause of death for children.

Tips to help children understand the importance of wearing helmets:

• Teach by example. Always use your helmet when playing sports that pose a potential for collision.
• Buy a helmet that fits your child now, not one to grow into.
• Be aware that your child is more likely to wear a helmet if he or she likes the way it looks.

More children than adults wear bike helmets. Bike helmets save lives and prevent injuries, but in a few instances they are not appropriate:

• Children should not wear helmets when they climb trees or play on playground equipment. A helmet may get stuck on a tree or piece of equipment and strangle a child.
• Because a baby's neck muscles may not be strong enough to support a helmet, do not ride a bike at all with a child under the age of 1 year.

Remember, head injuries can occur during skiing, and when they occur, they can be devastating. Ski helmets are now commercially available. At the very least, bike helmets can be used.