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Economic disparity in bicycle helmet use by children six years after the introduction of legislation
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  • Published on:
    Worldwide helmet concerns

    Dear Editor

    The article by Macpherson et al[1] relies on surveys from 111 sites around East York (Toronto) and some questions remain about these surveys. Data from two reports provides confusing indications on the level of cycling. In 2001[2] figures were published for the hourly rate for several years and by comparison in 2003[3] counts for 8-years were provided based on 1 hour observation at each site. An hourly rate...

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    Conflict of Interest:
    None declared.
  • Published on:
    Timely reporting, concurrent comparisons and common sense

    Dear Editor

    Changes in %HI unrelated to %HW
    Common sense tells us that if the reduction in head injuries were due to helmet laws, percent head injury (%HI) should decline in response to the increase in percent helmet wearing (%HW).

    Fig 1 shows this was not the case either in Ontario or British Columbia (BC), two provinces c...

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    Conflict of Interest:
    None declared.
  • Published on:
    Reply to Mr. Wardlaw's letter "Timely reporting of research is necessary"
    • Alison K. Macpherson, Assistant Professor
    • Other Contributors:
      • Colin Macarthur, Teresa To, Jim Wright, Mary Chipman, and Patricia Parkin

    Dear Editor

    In his letter "Timely reporting of research is necessary", Mr Wardlaw suggests that lack of enforcement of bicycle helmet legislation in Ontario is an underreported aspect of bicycle helmet research.

    Although the issue of enforcement of legislation has been raised as a potentially important aspect of bicycle helmet laws, to our knowledge, no one has studied the nature of enforcement of helmet leg...

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    Conflict of Interest:
    None declared.
  • Published on:
    Re: Re: Timely release of information is important.

    In his zeal to defend bicycle helmet laws, Editor Barry Pless ignored two important issues identified by Malcom Wardlaw and in doing so raises one of even more vital importance.

    First, child cyclist head injuries declined in Ontario while data from Macpherson showed a declining rate of bicycle helmet use. This suggests a factor other than helmet use and helmet laws was responsible for the decline in head injurie...

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    Conflict of Interest:
    None declared.
  • Published on:
    Re: Timely release of information is important.

    Malcom Wardlaw asks if a serious head injury rate of 1 per 7,000 capita per year is great enough to warrant enforced use of protective headgear. My view is that there is no magic number; even 1 per 70,000 would be too many if the injury had serious sequelae, as undoubtedly many do. I am certain most sensible parents and most pediatricians who treat these children would agree. The opinions of the City of Toronto Police S...

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    Conflict of Interest:
    None declared.
  • Published on:
    Timely release of information is important.

    Dear Editor

    Macperson et al. present valuable findings [1] on rates of helmet use by Toronto children of different income groups; and how these rates varied across a period in which a helmet law was passed. The wearing rates rise to a peak after the law of 1995, followed by a decline back to roughly pre-law levels by 1999. This profile occurred because the law was not enforced. The City of Toronto Police Service c...

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    Conflict of Interest:
    None declared.