The Healthy Blogger

Should helmets be compulsory on snow/ice?

Natasha Richardson’s death has highlighted an important issue with regards to head injuries. Most of us think of head injuries in relation to bike accidents, whether motorcycles or bicycles, because they are the most frequent injuries we hear about. In fact, helmets are required by law for motorcyclists. And most serious bicyclists wear helmets – they are required to in competition. Of course, parents also urge their children to wear helmets on bikes, especially when they are new bike-riders.

But what about other sports. We know that American football requires helmets. In baseball, players wear helmets when they are batting or catching. Ice hockey requires helmets. Children learning to ice skate are encouraged to wear helmets, though adults are hardly ever asked to do so. Yet, figure skaters would never dream of putting on a helmet, even those in the beginning stages.

It has been many years since I went on the slopes, but back then, I don’t recall anyone ever wearing a helmet. But over the years, apparently, some skiers and snowboarders have taken to wearing helmets. It is not a universally accepted practice, however. Yet, head injuries on snow/ice are just as dangerous as concrete. And those slopes can become very icy after many people have trampled on them.

Richardson’s injury initially appeared to be minor, but now it has proved to be fatal. It is quite tragic and it begs the question of how many people have suffered through similar accidents but did not get the media attention because they were not celebrities? Should helmets now be required? Will it help? This question cannot be answered by studies, but if helmets can be shown to prevent serious head injuries, then the answer should be a resounding ‘yes’.  But creating a mandate to make helmet-wearing compulsory would take a lot of time and money.  The best solution for now would be to strongly encourage the use of helmets in cases where head injuries are not only serious but frequent.  The public need to be aware of the potential for injuries.  The helmet industry may see a surge in sales following this incident.