A recent article in the New York Times revealed some disturbing figures. Citing numbers released from the National Ski Areas Association showed that although the number of people that wear a helmet has tripled in the last decade to 70% there has been no decrease in the number of deaths or brain injuries on the slopes.
“The helmet does a very good job at protecting against skull lacerations and skull fractures, but it doesn’t seem to have much effect on concussions or traumatic brain injuries,” said Jasper Shealy, a professor emeritus at Rochester Institute of Technology, to the New York Times.
The newspaper reports on 2 studies that show that head injuries have actually gone up.
A study from the Western Michigan University School of Medicine claims the number of head injuries increased 60% in a seven-year period, from 9,308 in 2004 to 14,947 in 2010.
Another study, by the University of Washington, concluded that the number of young people suffering a head injury from 1996 to 2010 had increased 210%.
The article goes on to show reports that helmets only really offer protection at low speeds and surmised that people wearing a helmet might ski faster or more aggressively as they believe a helmet would protect them in the case of an accident.
You can read the full article here – Ski Helmet Use Isn’t Reducing Brain Injuries