A REVIEW OF HELMET USE AND RESULTANT HEAD INJURIES IN A PAEDIATRIC COHORT

Helmet use in cycling is encouraged heavily worldwide, however compliance can be poor. We aimed to review helmet use in a paediatric cohort in South Wales, and evaluate the injuries sustained when the children were involved in bicycle accidents. A prospective paediatric major trauma database identified children who had a traumatic accident on a bicycle or e-bike between January 2023 and December 2025. We also gathered data from patients attending trauma clinic during January 2026 due to injuries sustained on bikes. We then used patient notes and ambulance reports to identify whether the child did or did not have a helmet on at the time of accident. We identified 19 riders who were not wearing a helmet when the accident occurred, and 23 riders who were. Of the non-helmet wearers, 63.2% sustained injuries to the head; 47.4% sustained fractures to the skull and 36.8% sustained an intracranial bleed. 2 patients sustained bruises to the face, and 5 patients had lacerations and abrasions to the head and face. In contrast, 21.7% of the patients wearing helmets sustained head injuries. 8.7% suffered fractures to the skull, and an equal amount sustained intracranial bleeds. 1 patient had superficial bruising, and 3 had abrasions and lacerations. Riders not wearing helmets in this cohort sustained a greater number of head injuries in comparison to riders wearing helmets. These findings support a protective association of helmet use in these accidents; however, a larger study is needed to confirm these findings.