Important Benefits of Using Bicycle Helmet in California

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If you know how to ride a bicycle, you should also know how to protect yourself from road accidents. Bicycle mishaps in the United States are fairly common; in fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2009 alone, about 900 people died in bicycle accidents.

Because of the relative frequency of bicycle accidents in the country, the State of California implements certain traffic rules to address the issue. One of the staple bicycle-related traffic rules in California is the bicycle helmet law or the Vehicle Code (VC) 21212. Under this rule, bicycle riders under the age of 18 are required to wear bicycle helmet when riding their bicycles.

Bicycle helmets play an important role in saving bicyclists’ lives from accident-induced injuries like traumatic brain injury. These helmets are proven to be effective in keeping bicyclists away from life-altering and fatal injuries. According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (BHSI), helmets are effective in protecting riders’ head from certain types of injuries.

Additionally, there are important benefits that bicycle helmets can provide to riders who use them, and these include:

1. It provides protection to rider’s head – Bicyclists, as compared to motor vehicle drivers, do not have ample protection from road accident impacts. A cyclist’s body is highly vulnerable to different types of injuries including TBI, which is why it is vital for any rider to wear a helmet to have ample head protection in case he or she gets involved in an accident.

2. It saves minor cyclists from traffic tickets – Under California VC 21212, cyclists under the age of 18 must wear a bicycle helmet when riding in public places. Failure to do so may result in the issuance of traffic ticket or payment of hefty fines.

3. It gives riders peace of mind – Cyclists who ride on streets without their helmets on are not only prone to head injuries but also to other types of injuries like spinal cord injury (SCI). Riders of any age group who wear helmets are less likely to sustain life-altering injuries, thus, they become more certain of their safety than riders who do not use helmets.

California cyclists who got injured in an accident in Los Angeles are advised to seek consultation and representation from a Los Angeles accident attorney to receive just compensations from the liable party involved.