THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: Sunday, June 18, 1995 TAG: 9506170125 SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 13 EDITION: FINAL TYPE: Cover Story SOURCE: BY PAM STARR, STAFF WRITER LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
Don't tell Dot Kelley that riding a bike without a helmet is safe. The trauma services coordinator at Virginia Beach General Hospital saw an astonishing 350 percent increase in admissions last year of bicycle-related accidents.
She's not talking about twisted ankles or scraped knees. Those who required admission to a hospital suffered severe head injuries or shattered limbs. And each patient had one thing in common - they were not wearing helmets.
``Our skull is only designed to protect our brains at the speed of walking or running,'' said Kelley, a former emergency room nurse. ``Some bikes can travel at enormous rates of speed. Studies have shown that helmets reduce the risk of bike-related injuries by 85 percent.''
Kelley cited statistics from last year's caseload of 66 bicycle-related hospital admissions. Twenty-five of the admissions were ``major'' (life-threatening or disabling) and two were fatal. Seventy-four percent were male and 61 percent were under age 25. Alcohol use by the bike rider was a risk factor in 44 percent of the injuries in those under the age of 19. Most of the injuries happened in the evening hours, when more cars are on the road and visibility is poor.
``No trauma centers call them accidents,'' Kelley said. ``They're predictable. You get a certain population mixing together in a geographic location and it's going to happen. The oceanfront has the highest number of accidents because of the congestion, the traffic, tourists.''
One of Kelley's missions as trauma services coordinator is injury prevention. Her department has developed many programs on bike safety and injury prevention in general for schoolchildren which will be available to schools next fall. Kelley, a mother of three grown children, believes in the old adage of ``monkey see, monkey do.''
``Kids emulate their parents - if they see their parents wear a helmet, they'll wear one,'' said Kelley. ``Ninety-eight percent of children wear helmets if the adults do and only 28 percent wear them if adults don't.''
The best way to encourage children to wear helmets is to start them while they're young, Kelley said. The very first day a child starts to ride, a helmet should be on that head.
``That way it's part of the deal,'' she said. ``They won't question it as any different.''
Kelley conceded that the city's new bicycle helmet law that starts July 1 and requires helmets on riders 14 and under may be unpopular with many people who don't want to be ``legislated into safe behavior.'' But given the proof, she said, it only makes sense to do something about it.
``These are preventable accidents,'' Kelley said. ``When you have the information, you need to use it. It's just common sense.'' MEMO: Main story on page 12.
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Dot Kelley says bicycle accidents rose 350 percent last summer.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT GENERAL BICYCLE SAFETY by CNB