The project will be tested in four sites in Europe, including North (Sweden), Central (Austria), South (Italy) and Eastern (Poland) Europe; to evaluate their usability, efficiency, user acceptance and market viability; taking into account the very different children’s transportation to/from school systems across the different European regions as well as key cultural and socio-economic aspects.

The project starts 1 of September 2009 and is scheduled to end in August 2012. For more information see the website http://safeway2school.eu/

The effect of a helmet on head injury

Wearing a helmet considerably reduces the risk of head injury in a crash. In the early 1980′s researchers Huijbers and Van Kampen estimated the effect of wearing a helmet: the risk of being killed was 40% lower and that of severe injury went down with 30%.

More recent studies confirm this positive effect. For example, an Italian study among scooter riders from 2003 showed that after helmet use was made compulsory, the risk of head trauma was three to four times smaller. A WHO study from 2006 states that the risk of head injury and its severity is 72% less when wearing a helmet.

This, obviously, requires the helmet to be worn correctly.

Types of helmets

There are mainly three types of helmets today:

1. the integral helmet: this is a helmet that completely encloses the entire head and is equipped with a fixed jaw guard.
2. the jet helmet; this helmet does not have a jaw guard but only a usually hinged visor in front.
3. the system helmet; this is an integral helmet with a hinged jaw guard.

Studies have been carried out of any differences in effectiveness between the various helmet types, particularly the integral helmet and the jet helmet. It is clear that an integral helmet with a fixed jaw guard considerably reduces the risk of chin and facial injury. The jet helmet lacks this protection. This should be considered when choosing a helmet.

Does helmet color matter? According to a study by Wells et al. (2004), the color of the helmet can be important in preventing crashes. Wearers of a white helmet even have a 24% lower crash rate than those wearing a black helmet. The increased visibility makes motorcycle riders easy to spot by other trafficants.

For more information see information from the Dutch Institute for road safety research, SWOV.

The three collisions in a crash

When a crash occurs, a car occupant without a seat-belt will continue to move at the same speed at which the vehicle was travelling before the collision and will be catapulted forward into the structure of the vehicle – most likely into the steering wheel if they are driving, or into the back of the front seats if they are rear seat passengers.

There are three collisions that occur in every crash where a person isn’t wearing a seat-belt. The first collision involves the vehicle and another object, e.g. another vehicle, tree, signpost, ditch or or animal. The second collision occurs between the unbelted person and the vehicle interior, e.g. the driver hits his chest on the steering wheel or his head on the window. Finally, the third collision occurs when the internal organs of the body hit the chest wall or the skeleton. It is the second collision that is most responsible for injuries, and can be reduced significantly by the use of seat-belts and child restraints. The most serious injuries in a car crash are to the head, followed by the chest and the abdomen.

Seat-belts to the rescue

The use of seat-belts and child restraints is one of the most important actions that can be taken to prevent serious injury in a car  crash. While seat-belts and child restraints do not prevent crashes from taking place, they play a major role in reducing the severity of injury to vehicle occupants involved in a collision. An occupant’s chance of survival increases dramatically when appropriately restrained.

Since the 1960s studies  throughout the world have shown that seat-belts save lives.  A review of research on the effectiveness of seat-belts found that their use reduces the probability of being killed by 40–50% for drivers and front seat passengers and by about 25% for passengers in rear seats. The impact on serious injuries is almost as great, while the effect on slight injuries is smaller at 20–30%.

A rearward-facing child restraint absorb the collision force over a greater area than a forward facing child restraint. This provides for better safety for the child.

Sweden has the lowest number of children killed in car accidents when compared with all countries reporting to IRTAD (International Road Traffic Accident Database) for the period 2001-2005. It is particularly among the youngest children (0-9 years) that Sweden has a low mortality rate in traffic (see International statistics on children killed in traffic accidents).

For more information see the ANEC press release A Fatal Contradiction-Child safety in cars: A wide gulf has developed between technology and legislation, and The “Swedish Model” Is Recommended in the Nordic Road and Transport Research Journal.