Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Helmet Use Among Cyclists in New York City

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Community Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Lack of helmet use while bicycling can have deleterious effects on health. Despite evidence that helmets can greatly reduce the risk of head injury, the prevalence of helmet use among riders, including those in urban bicycle-share programs, has been shown to be very low. Building upon the authors’ previous work, this study’s aim was to assess prevalence of helmet use among cyclists riding on widely used New York City (NYC) bike lanes. Across a 2-month period, cyclists were filmed in five NYC locations with bike lanes. Filming took place at two separate time periods (recreation and commute) at each location. Helmet use was coded for each cyclist. A total of 1,921 riders were observed across 10 h. Overall, half (50.0 %) of all riders were observed wearing a helmet. Rates of using a helmet were consistent across all five locations. In addition, only 21.7 % of Citi Bike users and 15.3 % of other bicycle rentals were observed wearing helmets while cycling. The prevalence of helmet use was significantly higher among males than females (z = 4.48, p < .001). Cyclists observed during the recreational time period were also less likely than those observed during the commuting time period to be wearing a helmet (z = 7.17, p < .001). The results of this study contribute to the growing literature about cyclist helmet use in urban areas.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Pucher, J., Buehler, R., & Seinen, M. (2011). Bicycling renaissance in North America? An update and re-appraisal of cycling trends and policies. Transportation Research Part A, 45, 451–475. Retrieved from http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/TRA960_01April2011.pdf.

  2. Reynolds, C., Harris, M., Teschke, K., Cripton, P., & Winters, M. (2009). The impact of transportation infrastructure on bicycling injuries and crashes: A review of the literature. Environmental Health, 8, 47. Retrieved from http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1476-069X-8-47.pdf.

  3. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic Safety Facts 2011. Washington, DC: US Dept. of Transportation. Retrieved from http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811754AR.pdf.

  4. New York City Department of Transportation. Bicycle crash data 2012. The City of New York. Retrieved from http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/2012-bicycle-crash-data-report.pdf. Published January 1, 2012.

  5. American Association of Neurological Surgeons. (2011). Sports-related head injury. Retrieved from http://www.aans.org/Patient%20Information/Conditions%20and%20Treatments/Sports-Related%20Head%20Injury.aspx.

  6. Mandel-Ricci, J., Stayton, C., Nicaj, L., Assefa, S., Woloch, D., Jeffrey, K., et al. (2008). A multiagency effort to reduce bicyclist fatalities and serious injuries in New York City. Public Health Reports, 123(5), 652–654.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Thompson, D. C., Rivara, F., & Thompson, R. (2009). Helmets for preventing head and facial injuries in bicyclists. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (1), CD001855.

  8. Basch, C. H., Ethan, D., Rajan, S., Samayoa-Kozlowsky, S., & Basch, C. E. (2013). Helmet use among users of the Citi Bike bicycle-sharing program: A pilot study in New York City. Journal of Community Health. doi:10.1007/s10900-013-9785-7.

  9. Kraemer, J., Roffenbender, J., & Anderko, L. (2012). Helmet wearing among users of public bicycle-sharing program in the District of Columbia and comparable riders on personal bicycles. American Journal of Public Health, 102(8), 23–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Fischer, C. M., Sanchez, C. E., Pittman, M., Milzman, D., Volz, K. A., Huang, H., et al. (2012). Prevalence of bicycle helmet use by users of public bikeshare programs. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 60(2), 228–231.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Manhattan Bike Paths, Bike Lanes, & Greenways. Retrieved from http://www.nycbikemaps.com/maps/manhattan-bike-map/.

  12. Citi Bike. System data. Citi Bike. Retrieved from http://citibikenyc.com/system-data.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, Wing 150, Wayne, NJ, 07470, USA

    Corey H. Basch

  2. Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA

    Emily A. Zagnit, Sonali Rajan & Charles E. Basch

  3. Department of Health Sciences, Lehman College, City University of New York, Bronx, NY, USA

    Danna Ethan

Authors
  1. Corey H. Basch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Emily A. Zagnit
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sonali Rajan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Danna Ethan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Charles E. Basch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Corey H. Basch.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Basch, C.H., Zagnit, E.A., Rajan, S. et al. Helmet Use Among Cyclists in New York City. J Community Health 39, 956–958 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-014-9836-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-014-9836-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation