Drafter
Clerk 02/25/2022
title
A RESOLUTION strongly recommending helmet use as a tool to prevent injuries and fatalities associated with head injuries to bicycle and other wheeled device riders of all ages and a comprehensive approach to bicycle safety.
Body
WHEREAS, bicycling is an important recreational activity and mode of transportation that provides valuable exercise and supports sustainable transportation to fight climate change and promote health, and
WHEREAS, head and brain injuries are a major cause of disability and death associated with the operation of a bicycle on public roadways and bicycle paths, and
WHEREAS, more than one thousand Americans die annually from bicycle related injuries. Approximately forty percent of those deaths are due to traumatic brain injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and
WHEREAS, a significant number of individuals who survive head injuries do not return to a normal life and are often left with profound disability and long-lasting conditions, and
WHEREAS, in 2020, thirty-nine individuals were injured or killed riding or as a passenger on a bicycle King County, four of which were fatal, and
WHEREAS, the total economic burden in King County to government and society from bicycle involved crashes, both helmeted and unhelmeted, averaged $190 to 300 million a year from 2010 to 2020, and
WHEREAS, bicycle helmets prevent head injuries suffered by bicycle riders during a crash or fall, reducing the risk of head, brain and severe brain injury by sixty-three to eighty-eight percent according to a 2000 Cochrane review, and
WHEREAS, King County has been a leader in reducing preventable injuries and deaths in children through the promotion of bicycle helmet use, and
WHEREAS, the King County Board of Health recognizes that a comprehensive approach to bicycle safety must include helmet use as well as safe built environments, access to helmets and education about use, and ensuring that all rid...

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