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Cyclists beware: Bikers who don’t wear helmets 2.4 times more likely to die, Japan data says

By on June 20, 2023

Japan started obliging all cyclists to make an effort to wear helmets in April this year.

However, there are still many of them who hit the road without helmets.

The other day in a busy street in Daikanyama, a kid was sitting on a child seat mounted on the handlebars. Imagine this. If the helmet-less mom were to fall, her child would end up as an airbag, so to speak.

According to a new data Japan released on Tuesday, the fatality rate of cyclists who did not wear helmets at the time of an accident between 2013 and 2022 was 2.4 times higher than those who did not.

Although the total number of fatal traffic accidents that occurred in 2022 has fallen by about 40% since 2013, bicycle-related dropped at a slower pace by some 30%.

Head injuries accounted for 55.7% of all cycling deaths in Japan between 2018 and 2022 which suggests helmets prevent fatal injuries after a collision happens.

It would be best to prevent the collision from happening at all. However, the data also revealed another risky cyclist behavior is on the rise. There were at least 289 police-reported cases in 2022 related to biking under the influence of alcohol.

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