Home > FMSRJ > Vol. 2 > Iss. 1 (2017)
Document Type
Article
Abstract
In 2013, bicycle accidents accounted for approximately 494,000 emergency room visits and 900 fatalities in the United States. In Miami-Dade County, there were 9.1 hospitalizations due to bicycle accidents for every 100,000 people. Bicycle accidents are a common cause of traumatic brain injury and hospitalization, costing over $6 billion a year in healthcare costs and loss of work. Helmets have been proven to significantly decrease the rate of traumatic brain injury following a bicycle accident. This paper seeks to identify possible solutions to increase helmet use by children aged 17 and younger in Miami- Dade County. Community-level public health interventions and “common-sense” legislation have been proven to increase the levels of helmet use. Specific interventions for Miami-Dade County are suggested as a three-pronged approach of: 1) passing helmet use legislation 2) community level education program 3) a helmet distribution program to increase ownership and use.
Recommended Citation
Weinstein, Corey; Barbera, Joseph; and Stolz, Thomas
(2017)
"Bicycle Helmets in Miami Dade County: a Crash Course in a Public Health Crisis,"
Florida Medical Student Research Journal: Vol. 2
:
Iss.
1
, Article 7.
Available at:
http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/fmsrj/vol2/iss1/7