'Cyclists should wear helmets on every trip'

The schools are back the roads are busier again and  Acquired Brain Injury Ireland is calling on anyone cycling to work to wear a helmet at all times – even on short journeys.

According to the national charity – the leading provider of neuro-rehabilitation in the country – wearing a cycle helmet dramatically reduces the risk of a serious head or brain injury in the event of a collision.

In July the Road Safety Authority’s mid-year review confirmed the deaths of six bicycle users on Irish roads this year.

That followed a 50 per cent increase in cyclist fatalities in 2017. 

Barbara O’Connell, chief executive of Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, said: “Nobody ever thinks a brain injury will happen to them and yet it happens to 35 people in this country every day. 

“The reality is that regardless of whether people are cycling five minutes or an hour, unforeseen events can cause any cyclist to suddenly come off the bike.

“It’s not hard to spot cyclists without helmets. 

“But what those cyclists are not thinking about is that a fall off their bikes could leave them with a chronic and ongoing condition that can affect their lives and those of their family for months, years and even decades after the initial injury.

“Wearing a helmet reduces the severity of the brain injury by absorbing the impact from the collision. This, in turn, reduces the amount of time a person spends in recovery and rehabilitation.”