Motorcycle Brain Injuries
Riding a motorcycle can be dangerous. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that the average motorcyclist is 35 times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than car occupants, citing traumatic brain injuries as the number cause of death. But what are the factors that contribute to these statements, and what can be done to prevent these accidents?
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Why Brain Injuries Occur
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A motorcycle offers virtually no protection to the rider in an accident. The rider sits on top of a motorcycle, as opposed to car or truck occupants, who sit within the framework of the vehicle. A collision or loss of control will eject the rider, who will collide with the ground or another object or vehicle, generating the possibility of sustaining serious bodily injuries. The kinetic forces caused by the rider's head halting instantaneously when striking another object travel directly to the brain, where the shock wave wreaks havoc on the soft matter within.
Types of Injuries
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examined a three-year sample of motorcycle-related injuries that occurred in the state of Wisconsin between 1989 and 1991. The study determined that most motorcycle-related head injuries could be classified into three separate categories: 1) brain injury, which is defined as any intracranial injury with or without fracturing of the skull, which may followed by hemorrhaging and loss of consciousness for a period of an hour or more; 2) skull fracture without intracranial injury; and 3) concussion with or without a loss of consciousness for less than one hour.
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Factors Contributing to Brain Injuries
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Both the NHTSA and the CDC state that an unhelmeted motorcyclist is more likely to suffer a fatal head injury, and they cite the lack of a protective helmet as the most common denominator in their studies. However, some impacts and accidents may be so severe that a helmet might not have provided any source of protection. The studies of motorcycle accidents reported by Wisconsin police in 1991 showed that 2015 unhelmeted motorcyclists were injured, nearly 63 percent of the 3184 motorcyclists injured that year, and were more than twice as likely as riders wearing helmets to sustain and be hospitalized for a head injury.
Protective Measures
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The NHTSA, along with many agencies around the world, is a major proponent for the use of properly certified motorcycle helmets, stating that a motorcycle helmet can be as much as 67 percent effective in preventing major head and brain injuries. Helmets may reduce the risk of death in an accident by up to 29 percent and may reduce the severity of other injuries that may be sustained, such as injuries to eyes, ears and face.
How Can a Helmet Help?
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A motorcycle helmet that has been approved by the federal Dept. of Transportation has been certified to meet the minimum impact requirements, transferring less than an acceleration of 400g to the wearer's head. Helmets reduce injuries in two stages: first, spreading the force of an impact over and across its exterior, which is constructed of a rigid thermoplastic or composite fiberglass shell. Second, a polystyrene foam liner absorbs any remaining kinetic energy, preventing it from reaching the wearer's brain, where it can cause damage.
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- Photo Credit David Lytle
