Doctors split over bicycle helmet law

Doctors are divided over whether cyclists should be forced to wear safety helmets.

They are poised to debate the issue amid growing concern at the number of head injuries.

But some fear a law to make them compulsory would discourage people from cycling and help fuel the country's obesity epidemic.

The debate, at next week's British Medical Association conference, will be watched by ministers, who may consider changing the law if there is a vote for compulsory helmets.

Every year nearly 20,000 cyclists are involved in reported road accidents, including about 2,500 who are killed or seriously injured.

As some accidents are never reported, it is feared the real figure could number as many as 150,000 a year - 90 per cent of which happen in urban areas. About 70 per cent of the cyclists killed on the road have major head injuries.

Peter Maguire, an anaesthetist and critical care doctor, is backing the BMA motion calling for mandatory helmets.

He said: "It is a human tragedy when you see someone come in with horrific injuries that lead to severe brain damage from which they may never recover and that could have been reduced or prevented if they had been wearing a helmet.

"If we expect our children to wear cycle helmets they need to set the example so cycle helmets become the norm." Jonathan Fielden, an intensive care doctor in Reading, said the argument for cycle helmets is the same as for rear seatbelts 10 years ago.

He said: "Now, if we see a child in a back of a car without a seatbelt we think 'how irresponsible' - we need to be thinking the same way about cycle helmets.

"It is a cheap and simple intervention that would save some of the 1,000 cases of brain and facial injuries caused in cycle accidents."

But public health doctors concerned at the scale of obesity, especially among children, said nothing should be done to discourage people from cycling.

Steve Watkins, director of public health in Stockport, said: "Certainly you would save some lives because fewer people would be cycling.

"But you would cause more deaths from coronary heart disease and other things.

"If everyone ditched the car and cycled every journey under five miles we would save thousands of lives."

Dr Watkins is chairman of the Transport and Health Study Group, an independent national organisation of health and transport professionals.

The group does not support the compulsory use of cycle helmets.

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