It is a sure thing that accidents and injuries due to mountain bike riding still increasingly happen with or without wearing protective gears like helmets and pads. Mountain bike riding is the most risky form of bike riding.

This is why, in some places, wearing helmets when riding bikes is a mandatory law. There have been alarming high rates of accidents and injuries caused by mountain bike riding especially from those who don’t wear protective gears.

Aside from head injuries which are the most common injury caused by mountain riding, other common injuries include spinal injuries, inclusion, lumbar or thoracic injuries, and cervical injuries. Head injuries are also liable for most deaths caused by mountain bike riding.

Some injuries acquired from riding become serious which eventually need to have surgical operations. These surgical operations may need to fix bone fractures, or treat tissues which have been damaged because of the impact from the accidents. Some bike riders who have severe injuries require being in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) facility.

The ICU is usually for patients who need serious attention to monitor their condition. Other bike riders who have been involved in bike-related accidents need to undergo therapy and rehabilitation to attain full recovery from injuries.

Medical costs for these hospital services to treat injuries acquired from riding are definitely expensive. This is why it is highly recommended for riders to observe safety precaution like wearing helmet to somehow alleviate the severity of injuries.

Although there are no direct correlation between decreased occurrence of accidents due to mountain bike riding and increased usage of protective gears like helmets, there is still an advantage of using one. Helmets generally protect the brain and skull of the head which may help lessening the severity of the injury.

Helmets may not avoid the mountain bikers to meet an accident or have an injury but it helps greatly in reducing the seriousness of the injury. Compared to the expensive cost from medical treatment a rider needs to cure his severe injuries, helmets are certainly much less expensive to avoid severity of the injuries.

According to research, most of the frequently affected or involved in bike-related accidents are young males, and who only ride mountain bikes for exercise and leisure.

It does not matter if you are a professional cyclist or just a rider for fun, it is always important to observe your safety before doing this activity. It is always true that prevention is better than cure. In this case, helmets are definitely better than being cured in a hospital.

By: Athena McDonald