Teenage attitudes to bicycle helmets

Reports a study investigating teenage attitudes towards bicycle helmets. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 1,093 11-16-year-olds to assess their helmet ownership and use and their attitudes towards bicycle helmets. More 11-13-year-olds owned cycle helmets than 14-16-year-olds, with similar wearing rates across age. Girls placed more importance on whether helmet wearing was compulsory at school and comfort of helmets, while boys placed more importance on whether helmet wearing was compulsory by law. Those who owned helmets were more likely to place importance on whether wearing a helmet was law and whether it was a school rule than were those who did not own helmets. The 11-13-year-olds placed more importance on whether helmet wearing was compulsory at school and by law, while 14-16-year-olds placed more importance on comfort, appearance, cost, and their friends’ opinions as reasons.